How Academia, Google Scholar And Predatory Publishers Help Feed Academic Fake News

"In a week in which not an instant has gone by without a headline somewhere blaring the phrase 'fake news,' it is important that we not lose track of the journalistic and societal underpinnings that have allowed false and misleading news to flourish. Both the academic and journalism communities have stepped forth into the fray to tout their unique expertise and professionalism as the sole solution to the scourge of fake news. Yet, as I wrote yesterday, neither appears to be particularly up to the challenge.

Even the most respected and storied brands in journalism have run immensely high profile stories without performing even the most rudimentary of fact checking. Moreover, the nation’s top newspapers decline to provide even the most basic descriptions of their pre-publication fact checking standards and offer conflicting statements as to whether they fact checked a given story or performed no verification of any kind, while publishing post-mortems that place the blame anywhere but on themselves.

Into this void some in the academic community have suggested that academia could lend its expertise to help journalists fact check information, while I myself have noted the importance of increased information literacy training. Yet, a look at the state of academic publishing suggests academia may not be much better than the journalism community in offering a reputable bulwark against false news."