On college campuses worldwide, the clash between free speech and fake news has become a major flashpoint. While universities are meant to foster open dialogue and challenge ideas, some discourse has edged toward misinformation, hate speech, or disinformation - which some view as a threat to democratic norms and others see as protected expression.

Academic studies, like Exploring the Threat of Fake News (Baron & Ish-Shalom, 2024), argue that fake news erodes the shared factual basis needed for informed debate, turning opinion into perceived truth. Legal scholars also grapple with how to regulate false information without unduly restricting expression. For example, the Singapore law Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) attempts to curb deliberate falsehoods, but critics warn its powers may be overbroad. 

Meanwhile, surveys show that many students are ambivalent: they want free, open conversations, but also expect universities to act if speech crosses the line into harmful or misleading territory. Critics of heavy regulation argue that censorship risks stifling dissent and that accusations of “fake news” can be misused to silence unpopular voices.

Finding a balance means defining clear boundaries - what counts as misinformation, what thresholds trigger institution action - and ensuring transparency, education, and media literacy so students can distinguish fact from manipulation.