Fake news – aka big fat sinkin’ lies – has been around forever, and there’s a word for it: Fiction.

Fiction is okay. We like fiction. The problem isn’t made-up stories; it’s not even the reason people write it, though the whole Russian thing is intriguing. The major problem is the people who share it.

But our assumption about these fake-news sharers is sometimes wrong: We think they’re not savvy enough to check the source. We think they’re being tricked into sharing lies masquerading as truth. We think they have a heavy finger on the “share” button.

What if we’re wrong? What if some people enjoy spreading fake news?

We incorrectly think the solution is education. If we explain to loyal Americans how fake news is created, give them the tools to discern fake from real, and discourage them for forwarding anything iffy, that will eventually solve the problem, won’t it?

What if there are people who love trashing the other side more than they care about the truth? What if they read a story and a little voice inside his head says: “OMG. Those idiots can’t get any stupider … hey, is this one of those fake news things? Maybe – but should I care? They’re so stupid this might as well be true. I mean it’s here in black and white. And a bunch of idiots need to wake up and smell the coffee.”

And then, even knowing that it might be fake news, they hit “share” for the greater good.

Suddenly 100 friends and relatives see fake news shared by someone they generally trust, and at least for a few of them, the internal dialogue goes something like this: “Fred shared this, and Fred reads a lot. This story has independent confirmation. Fred sent it, so it must be true.”

And friends hit share.

There’s a philosophical question at the heart of this: Is lying justified if you completely believe doing so will fix the country’s problems – does the end justify the means? If non-supporters are as stupid as you think, is a lie appropriate?

But lying fails the ethics test. If people are going to be stupid, they should be stupid based on the facts, not the fiction. Misinterpreting facts is far better than passing on lies.

It also creates a sub-problem: The fake-news forwarders are sharing the latest commie propaganda penned in Moscow. Ironically, many are uber-Americans playing the tragic role of double agents. They think they’re loyal Americans even as they spread Russian lies.

When analyzing news, it’s not enough to look at the content. Readers must also consider the sender.

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