In 2017 fake news became a mainstream concern and many
wondered if there is anything that can be done about it.
The first step is to acknowledge that we each have a role
to play in its spread and rise to prominence. Then the next logical question
is: What can we do about it?
The first thing is recognize fake news "in the wild."
And if you think this is challenging you’re absolutely right.
A February, 2017 study in Britain found that only 4
percent of 1,684 UK adults surveyed could correctly identify whether six news
stories were true or fake.
But take action we must, so:
11 Ways Spot Fake News
The now-suspended site abcnews.com.co |
Does everything match? The headline
and the content, for example? A sure sign of something less-than-reliable is an
image of an attractive woman (likely a stock image) and a headline that says something
like " NY Homeowners Get a Huge Surprise.”
Is the story only on one website? If
it is really a big or important story why is it only in one place? A quick
Google search should find many other versions of a legitimate story.
Is it on a site known to be unreliable?
There are plenty of places to find out if a site is likely to be spreading fake
news. For example:
- PolitiFact’s Fake News Almanac
- Wikipedia’s List of fake news websites
- FactCheck.org’s Websites that Post Fake and Satirical Stories
- RealOrSatire’s List of Fake sites
The fake Viral Liberty story |
Does the article cite primary sources? For example, in 2016 Coca-Cola
allegedly recalled Dasani water bottles after a "clear parasite" was
found in the water. But nowhere on the web was there a statement from Coca-Cola
or Dasani about this.
This was never printed in People magazine |
Although all over the web this image is, well, fake |
Does it support your existing point of view?
If a story is odd, bizarre or surprising and yet supports something you’ve
always suspected, beware of your own "confirmation bias." Again look
for evidence that it really is true.
Has it been debunked by a reputable
fact-checking organization? There
are a lot of trustworthy fact-checking websites out there. A small sample:
- PolitiFact’sTruth-O-Meter
- Snopes’Fake News Archives
- RealOrSatire’s Plug in a URL Tool to discover if a story is fake
- The story checking site TruthOrFiction.com
Now that you’ve identified it as fake news what can you
do about it?
5 Keys to
Fighting Fake News
Have a "healthy amount of skepticism"
and think, really think, before sharing a piece of news.
Considering all of the points above, am I ABSOLUTELY sure
this story is true?
Be a little slower to share and
re-tweet content. Especially do not share anything just based on the headline
or a picture that caught your eye. Read what you want to share.
Report all fake news There are
multiple ways to do this. Start with the source, if possible, and then report
it on the platform where you found it. For example:
Facebook’s How
do I mark a news story as false?
On Twitter (while on the post with the
fake news) you’ll need to click the chevron in the corner or the three dots
under a tweet, then chose "report tweet."
On Google you scroll to the bottom of
the offending page and click on "Send feedback" where you’ll have the
option of including a screenshot.
Call out fake news to whoever posted
it You should be polite and message privately (if you can), but you
need to do this. And if this doesn’t work…
Use the comments area under a post to state the
truth. A best practice is to include a link – a link to a verifiable
source to reinforce the point.
Now you know both how to spot fake news and how to fight
it – happy hunting. The more each of us does the less fake news will make its
way into our newsfeeds.
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