Fake News and the Capability Approach: How Disinformation Impairs Personal Health

This paper examines the detrimental effects of fake news on individual well-being and explores measures that individuals and governments can adopt to mitigate these effects. While current discussions predominantly focus on the harm fake news causes to the political community, this paper shifts its attention to studying the harm inflicted on individual citizens who are exposed to and in- fluenced by fake news. By drawing on Martha Nussbaum’s capability theory, the paper evaluates the impact of fake news on individuals’ well-being, particularly in relation to the development of personal health, which is a crucial capability for leading a fulfilling life. Having established that fake news poses a significant threat to this fundamental capability, the paper explores various approaches that individuals and governments can employ to minimize the detrimental effects of fake news on individual well-being.