FAKE NEWS FROM THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
Siti Suriani Othman, PhD Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia suriani@usim.edu.my / ssuriani3979@gmail.com Fauziah Hassan, PhD Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Safiyyah Ahmad Sabri, PhD Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Liana Mat Nayan Universiti Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia,
Universiti Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Abstract
This paper discusses about fake news from the Islamic perspective. Derived from previous scholarly discussions and Islamic manuscripts on fake news, this paper attempts to provide what Islam has to say about fake news. The discussion starts with scholarly literature about fake news to understand the concept of fake news, followed by the issue of fake news in news sourcing. More emphasis is given to online news due to the fact that fake news emerges abundantly and easily on online platforms than before. Besides that, the role of technology in reducing or/and increasing the threat of fake news in modern communication is also discussed. The final part of the paper discusses specifically on fake news from the Islamic perspective. Some suggestions of best practice are also provided, based on Islamic perspective argument, for journalists or citizen journalists to ponder. We argue that best practice in journalism pertaining to fake news is best derived both from religious manuscripts and journalism ethical practice.
Keywords: Fake news, Islamic perspective, online journalism, best practice in journalism
Topic: Communication