La Peirce’s semiotics to discuss disinformation

Abstract

The issue of fake news and the consequent post-truth era have become objects not only of mandatory critical discussions but also of the search for unmasking practices. This is not accidental, because, as it mainly affects politics, the dissemination of fake news through social networks brings harm to the exercise of citizenship and democracy. In recent years, to safeguard journalistic credibility, many have chosen to replace the word term ‘fake news’ with ‘disinformation’. The justification for this exchange rests on the fact that if it is news, it cannot be false, as what characterizes news is its fidelity to the facts. This article aims to discuss, from the point of view of C. S. Peirce's semiotics, the semantic ambiguities of both the concept of ‘information’ and its antonym ‘disinformation’ and consequently argue whether replacing the term ‘fake news’ with ‘disinformation’ is advisable.