Fake News:
How to
Spot It
Editor’s Note The last decade has been newsworthy, to mention the least. False propaganda, hoaxes, misconceptions and satire have long been in occurrence for a very long time. However, blended in with all the fair, credible, well cited news was something more malicious: news that seemed legit, but were utterly unmitigated fake one in disguise. Whereas false news has been prevailing as long as its authentic equivalent, it’s been clearly manipulated to become the hot topic especially recently with all that is happening around the world, due to the way we run through information. With many getting their news from various social media platforms, it is getting hard to tell which is legit or not and if their information is credible or not. Information overflow and a major lack of comprehension about how the web works have both contributed in the increasement of fake news and clickbait stories. This guide will help you identify the difference between fake and credible news, and promote tools that will help evaluate the type of news provided.
1
Look Beyond the Headline
Take a closer look, check the entire piece of the story and read through the article’s content. Reviewing what is being communicated will help you understand the credibility of the news projected. Try to review the message thoroughly and ask yourself: • What is the content of the news? • Can this message be found elsewhere? • Is the website for this message updated on a regular basis? • When was the news published? • Are the sources in quotes? • Is the message a fact or is it more opinion? • Check the whole point of view of the message, if any sides are missing out. • What is the format prevailing on the article?
2
Check the Outlet and the author
If the news showed up in your social media feed suddenly or on a website dedicated for clickbait, then it is better to move forward with carefulness. Absolute ask yourself the following questions when it comes to citation and source checking: • Do you know the creator behind the news? • Is there a signature or an introduction to the article? • Is the author mentioned in the website? • Does the website or the company has an “about us” link for further credibility? • Check if the website URL has a tilde ~ in it. • Check for the ending of the URL of the website, one like .com, .org, .gov and. Edu are the most legit. • If the organization responsible for the publishing the news can be found in an online library or a LinkedIn profile. • If you could find similar information on other websites.
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3
Why was this massage created?
Review the reason behind the message, the following points will reveal fake news from credible ones. • What was the motivation behind the creation of the article in the first place? • Was the news created for clickbait and profit purposes? • Is the news an advertisement to any events? • Is it promoted or paid for? • Is the source of information being sponsored?
4
Look out for fake images
Modernistic editing software has made it simple and accessible for the creation of fake images that look legit and real. It is better to use tools that enables you to determine if these images have been sabotaged and staged like, • Google Reverse Research Image • TinEye • FotoForensics • Forensically • InVID Verification Plugin
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Put the evidence to test
Only a credible news will include the following facts and date –survey results, quotes, and authoritative statistics. Once you made sure the news is coming from an official source, you can share on your social media platforms. So, make sure you inspect all the evidence before help in the outbreak of the misinformation that is already increasing by each day.
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6
Question your biases
No matter how the social media source is well-known or established, no news outlet is bias free. All kinds of media platform choose which story news is worthy for publishing. It is crucial to understand that media platforms have stories written with a particular reader in mind, where one must recognize that bias is completely different from fake news. It is partially credible, only with one side well-implemented. Using the selected facts that support their view on the story. When investigating bias, check: • The story content as well as the tone of the headlines written. • Look into political take-on labels, verbs and descriptions. • The sources used in writing the storyline. • Whether the pitching and position of ideas have any affect on the news’ impact. • Can the story be viewed from another perspective? • Check the picture sources and captions carefully.
7
Breakout of your small circle of information
Try to join the myth-busters in order to keep track of the disinformation spread as well as try different search engines to stay ahead of the credible news and avoid falling for all the tabloids and rumors. Some credible alternatives to Google: • Bing • DuckDuckGo • WolframAlpha • IxQuick
All in all; these are some of the fact news checking websites, • Snopes.com/ • Politifact.com • Factcheck.org/ • Bbc.com/news/reality-check
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