By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

In about 1998, I had my first experience with “fake news.” In fact, I unwittingly helped create it.

At the time, I was a less-than-30-something communications aide for then-Gov. Mike Huckabee. Most of my duties involved writing, and there was a little press work.

One day, a couple of nice guys with a television camera stopped by the office and said they were Canadians, that there was some igloo in their country, and it was a big deal there. They were vague, but I remember taking it to be some kind of archaeological discovery. They asked if the governor could congratulate Canada on preserving its national igloo. Huckabee helpfully made a quick statement coming out of his office, and that was that. Or so I thought.

It turned out that the two were with a popular TV comedy show in that country, “This Hour has 22 Minutes.” One recurring segment was “Talking to Americans,” which showcased how ignorant we are of Canada. This time, the pranksters had parked themselves in front of the Arkansas Capitol. The segment showed one person seemingly duped into believing Canada’s capitol building is made of ice, and it was being covered with a dome to protect it from global warming. Among the others interviewed, two like Huckabee helpfully congratulated Canada on its national igloo; goodness knows what they were told beforehand. The segment ended by implying that even the governor believed Canada’s capitol building is an igloo. Then it cut to that vague, friendly statement I’d facilitated.

It was some time before the segment was aired, and by then I no longer was working for Huckabee. It did not make much of a splash here. I thought it might come up in his first presidential campaign, but nobody made an issue of it. However, the millions of Canadians who saw it were left with an inaccurate impression.

I bring this up because there’s a new Showtime series, “Who Is America?” starring satirist Sasha Baron Cohen. His schtick is disguising himself and then egging people into looking foolish on camera. He’s gotten very rich doing this, and no doubt there’s still an appetite for his act today.

No matter your political persuasion, anything like this should be taken for what it is. Film can be edited. People who are being interviewed on camera are nervous and excited and may not be thinking completely clearly, so they are susceptible to suggestions. It’s entertainment, for those who find it entertaining.

Here’s the bigger picture.

We have at our disposal an enormous amount of information, and much of it is valuable.

But there’s also a lot of bad information out there, and the internet and the modern media environment have accelerated its availability. Americans often rely on unfair cable news and talk radio hosts; on comedic entertainers; and on Facebook and YouTube, two places where standards for truth are practically nonexistent. Entire industries have developed around peddling divisive infotainment or outright lies. And the technology is rapidly improving that digitally puts words in a person’s mouth, so that a person can appear to say something he or she never said.

How do we navigate this minefield? Here are some suggestions I often don’t apply to myself. Don’t consume only information that merely confirms our own biases. Be careful of anything that creates the addictive rush of outrage or righteous indignation. Question anything that overly simplifies complex issues and presents legitimate debate as a contest between heroes and villains. Look for the original source of the information. If it’s not provided, that’s a red flag. If it is, when possible, go to it. Limit news consumption, and make it count. Let’s serve ourselves steak once or twice a day, not popcorn all day.

Finally, let’s recognize when entertainment is masquerading as information. That happens a lot these days, and often, it’s not really either.