The onslaught of fake news that has permeated the Internet, especially during the 2016 presidential election, may be alarming, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise, according to Buffalo State associate professor of journalism Annemarie Franczyk.

“Fake news is just an extension of the increasingly polarized media,” she said. “It’s a little jump from exaggeration to one-sided news stories to fake news. People promulgate fake news because it fits their one-sided agenda, and it energizes people who want to hear only that side.”

Franczyk, who teaches such courses as Media and Society, Principles of Journalism, and News Reporting, worked as a journalist for more than two decades before joining the Buffalo State faculty in 2008. She continues to freelance for Buffalo’s Business First and Buffalo Law Journal.

She can speak to the reasons behind fake news and the dangers of it, as well as the changing world of journalism. To speak with Franczyk, call (716) 878-5900 or (716) 239-5571