Home » Handling Disinformation And Fake News

The Challenge of Disinformation & Fake News

Misinformation and Fake News is a global challenge but it is more serious and dangerous in developing countries and democracies. While digital & social media are great technological advances in freedom of expression and democratization of communication unfortunately currently social media is awash with identifiable fake news, yet little or nothing has been done to combat the problem because Facebook, Twitter, and other major web media firms are considered platforms or utilities rather than media. As such, the web giants are not subject to the same legal liabilities as media outlets.  Similarly, the role of traditional gatekeepers is not there. It is becoming increasingly difficult for all segments of the population to know how to identify fake news.

It’s easy to see why fake news is a problem, but it’s harder to identify it and prevent it from spreading. Many social media users, including Journalists are aware of problems regarding fake news, yet they unknowingly give it credence by sharing misleading, incorrect, and downright fabricated “news” on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.

We need to be able to distinguish bogus news stories from true, fact-checked journalism. These tips help how to identify fake news to ensure the news we read and view is verified and accurate. Being able to spot misinformation disguised as legitimate news will enable us to combat the widespread distribution of harmful, misleading, and false information.

In particular, older people are a major source of fake news proliferation. The journal Science Advances recently reported that people over age 65 are the most likely source of fake news stories circulating on Facebook, regardless of their political affiliation. Efforts to improve digital media literacy that at present tend to focus on students and young people need to be extended to reach older social-media users, according to the researchers.

Tips to Identify Fake News

Spotting fake news can be difficult. Even people who are aware of the damage that fake news can cause may not realize they’re reading or viewing fake news.
Following tips will highlight the subtle indications of falsehoods we can look for in the news we consume and the vetting required to identify fake news and stop it from spreading.

If an article is being shared on Facebook or Twitter, you can see immediately the publication where the article originated. Browse to the publication’s site to view past articles on the same or similar topics. Red flags are raised if the articles share a certain political viewpoint, if they are riddled with typos or grammatical errors, or if they are all written by the same author.

Most fake news sites and accounts are fly-by-night operations that have existed for only a few weeks or months. Knowing when a site’s domain was registered can help to identify fake news. Find out how long a site has been around by entering its address in the Domain Age Checker run by Website SEO Checker.

When a big news event occurs, multiple media organizations will report it, even when they didn’t break the story. Search for other publications that have posted stories about the event or topic. If no other news outlets are reporting the story, be skeptical about the accuracy of the article or video.

Fake news is designed to strike an immediate emotional chord in audiences by using an alarming headline. Often people share such a story based solely on the headline, without even reading the article itself. If a headline attacks a newsworthy figure, seems outlandish, or simply lacks the ring of truth, search the internet for reliable sources that confirm the accuracy of the story and the headline (which are often written by two different people).

A favorite technique of fake news purveyors is the use of eye-catching images or videos. While a picture can be worth a thousand words, it is worthless — and potentially damaging — if the image is intended to mislead viewers rather than inform them.

If you see a shocking or particularly engaging photo or video in an article, take a moment to determine whether the media pertains to the main gist of the story or is intended solely to incite an emotional reaction in readers. Use a service such as TinEye to conduct a reverse image search. This search will show where else on the web the image appears, and it will indicate whether the image has been tampered with. For many video clips that go viral, there is additional video footage that either isn’t shown or hasn’t yet been published that tells a different story. Photos that support a certain stance or viewpoint are sometimes staged or digitally edited to misrepresent the true content. In both instances it can be difficult to tell real from unreal.

Evaluate the trustworthiness of the immediate source of the image, the person who shared the media, and the outlet where it was originally published. A little time spent researching might show whether any of these sources has a particular agenda, or whether the person who captured or shared the photo could be spreading misinformation, intentionally or unintentionally.

One of the wonders of the digital age is that it has brought people with like-minded ideas and values together across communities, across the country, and across the world. However, digital technology has also led to a digital bubble for many people, who receive news and information only from sources that reinforce their existing biases and beliefs.

Social media users with strong political leanings may not immediately recognize that their Facebook friends who echo those viewpoints are spreading fake news. Just as with people over age 65 being the most susceptible to sharing fake news, it’s possible that individuals who share your worldview might be knee-jerk sharing without properly vetting the source of the information.

Before sharing a questionable or suspicious looking news item, consider that it may be intended to be satirical or humorous.

Although fake news is closely identified with social media, television remains a powerful tool for spreading misinformation. Regardless of how well trusted a TV news source or network may be, look deeper into questionable facts or statements espoused on the medium before accepting the information as true.

The vast majority of the journalists and publishing professionals at print and broadcast media organizations are hard-working and talented individuals, but they are still prone to occasional mistakes that require corrections and retractions. Take the time to make sure that the news presented by these sources is corroborated and verifiable.

Raise awareness within your digital circle of family, friends, and associates about the dangers of fake news. If you notice that someone is sharing fake news, speak up. Alert the person and their audience that the “news” item they posted or shared is false. Tell them about the tips and resources in this guide so they will know how to identify fake news and help combat it.

Combatting Your Own Media Biases and Opinions

Beyond identifying fake news on media platforms, we must recognize that their own biases and opinions can influence their response to reliable information as well as to material whose authenticity is questionable.

Be aware of your own political biases when trying to spot fake news

Every person has biases, from the political parties and causes they support, to preferences over which news sources and media outlets they favor. Recognizing their own biases can help students effectively spot fake news.

Know that even the most reputable news organizations have biases and commit errors

Even Prize-winning journalists who break big stories that accurately inform the world about important events and issues have some biases. While these beliefs make them more susceptible to occasional errors and create blind spots in their perception of a story, it doesn’t rise to the level of fake news, which is created with the intent to deceive by using misinformation or downright lies.

The presence of Journalists on Social Media with huge followings is also affecting and influencing their opinions and leading to stereo types

Expand your digital horizons to include diverse voices and opinions

Rely on sources that express diverse opinions and represent varied perspectives on current events to educate about different viewpoints on issues. Sometimes these sources aren’t digital, but flesh-and-blood.

Face-to-face remains the most effective way to share new ideas and political perspectives. Being trained to seek out the full spectrum of facts and opinions on a matter makes its better prepared to identify and stop fake news.

SOURCE:  University of North Dakota

(Summarized & Edited)