What Does the Bible Say About Fake News?
- Edward D. Andrews
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
Framing the Question in Biblical Terms
When people say “fake news,” they often mean deliberately distorted claims, selectively edited facts, sensational rumors, or outright fabrications that are packaged to trigger fear, anger, or tribal loyalty. The Bible addresses this problem at a deeper level than modern labels, because Scripture does not treat untruth as a minor social annoyance. It treats falsehood as a moral issue that comes from the fallen world under Satan’s influence, spreads through the misuse of the tongue, and damages both neighbor-love and the witness of God’s people. The Bible also makes room for an important distinction that modern discussions often ignore: a person can pass along falsehood without intending to deceive, yet still be accountable for recklessness, carelessness, and the harm done to others. Scripture’s emphasis is not only “Do not lie,” but also “Do not participate in the spread of what is untrue,” because the God of truth requires His servants to be truth-tellers who handle facts carefully and speak responsibly.
Jehovah’s Character and the Moral Weight of Truth
Biblical ethics begins with who Jehovah is. Jehovah is the God of truth, and He cannot lie. That is not merely a theological statement; it is the foundation for why truthfulness is not optional. “God, who cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) sets a boundary line for what a Christian is allowed to become. Truth is not a tool to be used when convenient; it is a reflection of the God Christians claim to represent. Jesus likewise identifies truth as part of His own mission, saying, “For this I have been born… to testify to the truth” (John 18:37), and He ties spiritual freedom to truth, saying, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). That means Christians do not get to treat accuracy as a secondary virtue beneath “winning the argument” or “protecting our side.” If a claim is false, then it does not become righteous because it is useful.
The Direct Command Not to Spread False Reports
Scripture does not merely forbid personal lying; it forbids the social transmission of falsehood. One of the clearest texts is Exodus 23:1: “You must not spread a false report.” The command is striking because it targets the act of circulating a claim, not merely inventing it. In other words, Jehovah holds people responsible not only for creating lies but also for carrying them. That principle exposes a major moral blind spot in the internet age, where people commonly say, “I’m just sharing,” as if forwarding a claim removes responsibility. Biblically, passing along an unverified accusation or inflammatory rumor is not neutral behavior. It is participation in the spread of a “false report,” and Jehovah forbids it because it injures justice, distorts reality, and often turns neighbor-love into neighbor-harm.
False Witness, Slander, and the Sin of Manufactured Reality
The ninth commandment forbids bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16), and that command stretches beyond courtroom perjury into any situation where someone’s reputation or public perception is harmed by untruth. Fake news commonly functions as modern false witness: it tells a story meant to convict an opponent in the court of public opinion, whether the story is accurate or not. Scripture repeatedly condemns slander and malicious speech because it attacks a person’s standing through distortion. Proverbs warns that a “worthless man” spreads strife and that whispering separates close friends (Proverbs 16:28), which is exactly what viral misinformation often accomplishes: it fractures families, churches, and communities by turning suspicion into a lifestyle. The New Testament continues the same ethic when it commands Christians to put away “malice… and slander” (Colossians 3:8) and to speak truthfully because Christians are members of one another (Ephesians 4:25). If believers are spiritually connected in one body, then untruth is not merely incorrect; it is corrosive to unity.
Wisdom Principles for Verification and Fair Hearing
The Bible also gives practical wisdom for handling claims responsibly. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” That is a timeless warning against believing the first story that arrives, especially when it is designed to provoke immediate outrage. Fake news thrives on speed, not accuracy, and it manipulates people into sharing before thinking. James gives the corrective posture: “Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). That is not passive; it is disciplined. Being slow to speak includes being slow to post, slow to forward, and slow to declare certainty when you do not yet have enough information to be certain. Scripture also emphasizes standards of confirmation: “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; compare 2 Corinthians 13:1). The underlying principle is that serious claims require corroboration, and Christians should resist the modern habit of treating a single screenshot, an anonymous source, or a clipped video as if it were full proof.
Testing Claims Without Becoming Cynical
Christians are commanded to be discerning, but not cynical. The New Testament calls believers to examine what they hear: “Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). That instruction does not mean Christians must become suspicious of everything in a way that destroys trust and charity; it means they must develop the habit of testing claims before giving them moral endorsement through repetition. Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans because they received the message eagerly while “carefully examining the Scriptures daily” to see whether these things were so. That posture combines openness with verification. Applied to modern information, it means a Christian can listen, consider, and even be concerned, while still refusing to treat a claim as established until it is checked. Discernment is not the same as paranoia, and skepticism is not the same as wisdom. Wisdom is sober, careful, and patient.
The Tongue, Digital Speech, and Accountability Before God
James 3 teaches that the tongue can set a great forest on fire, and the point is not limited to spoken syllables. In the modern world, the “tongue” includes posts, comments, captions, reposts, and “just sharing” content. Jesus says people will render an account for careless words (Matthew 12:36), which should terrify anyone who treats online speech as consequence-free. Fake news culture rewards careless words because it rewards attention, not righteousness. Scripture, however, calls Christians to let speech be “with graciousness” (Colossians 4:6) and to speak “what is good for building up” (Ephesians 4:29). Passing along unverified accusations, exaggerations, or half-truths is rarely building up. More often it tears down, inflames suspicion, and trains the heart to love outrage. A Christian’s digital habits therefore become part of discipleship, because they reveal whether the person is being conformed to the world’s ways or being shaped by God’s Word.
False Teachers, Deception, and the Spiritual Dimension of Misinformation
The Bible also insists that deception is not merely a human problem; it has a spiritual dimension. Satan is called “a liar and the father of the lie” (John 8:44), and Scripture warns that false teachers and deceptive influences operate in the world (2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1). The last days are marked by people accumulating teachers who tell them what their ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3–4), which describes a public appetite for narratives that flatter existing biases. Fake news often spreads because it tells people what they already want to believe about their opponents. That is not a minor flaw; it is a spiritual vulnerability. When a person prefers a satisfying lie to an inconvenient truth, that person is being discipled by the world’s desires rather than by Jehovah’s standards. Christians are commanded to love truth, because truth is part of love for God and love for neighbor.
Correcting Error, Making Peace, and Protecting Christian Witness
A Christian will sometimes share something that later proves false. Scripture’s concern then becomes what happens next. Pride doubles down; righteousness corrects. Proverbs 12:22 says “lying lips are detestable to Jehovah,” and detestability is not removed by stubbornness. When a believer learns a claim was wrong, love requires the believer to retract it plainly, correct the record publicly when the falsehood was spread publicly, and avoid shifting blame onto others. That is not humiliation; it is honesty. The Christian’s goal is not self-protection but integrity before God. Jesus teaches that His disciples are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14–16), and light is not compatible with manipulation. When Christians become known as people who forward rumors, exaggerate, or refuse correction, the world hears the message “truth does not matter to them,” and that harms evangelism. By contrast, when Christians become known as careful, fair, truthful people who refuse sensationalism, they adorn the gospel with credibility.
Living as Children of Light in a World of Manufactured Outrage
Ephesians 5:8 says Christians were once darkness but are now light in the Lord, and they must walk as children of light. That walk includes refusing the world’s addiction to outrage, because outrage is easily weaponized by misinformation. A believer can care about justice, safety, and moral order without becoming a distributor of rumors. The Bible calls Christians to be people of truth, self-control, and neighbor-love, and that cannot coexist with habits of careless sharing. Fake news is not defeated only by better technology; it is resisted by disciplined hearts, reverent speech, and obedience to Jehovah’s standards. Christians honor Jehovah when they refuse to spread false reports, insist on fairness, correct errors, and speak truthfully even when truth costs them social approval.
About the Author
EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
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