Fake news is
most commonly used as a catch-all idea to describe the propaganda and
disinformation presented as legitimate news stories in order to deceive an
audience. This is probably the definition most people think of when they hear
the expression.
Of course, most
people aren’t usually that misinformed
or gullible. People often know that some of the lies being spread are not real,
but will nevertheless tolerate or accept them as long as they help them reach
their own ends.
Considering all of
the factors that comprise fake news and fuel its spread, it is hardly
surprising that it can be so effective. Without getting a clear understanding
on the phenomenon, however, we may be powerless to neutralize its impact.
Fake news can be seen
as an exchange of information between two entities – e.g. the actors who initiate
it, and the acted upon who receive
it – with the main purposes (either intentional or not) of invalidating
generally-accepted conceptions of truth and to alter established power
structures. This useful definition seems to incorporate many of the variant
perspectives about the concept that we have come across.
A survey conducted in
a university reveals following important findings:-
· There is little consensus about its definition
across gender, rank, discipline, and age;
· The issue of fake news is of concern to nearly
all faculty surveyed (88%), with only 9% neutral and 3% not concerned;
· Despite the concern, a large majority of people
(68%) do not consider themselves susceptible to fake news;
· Fake news is most typically encountered in
Social Media (93%), through oral communication (60%), and from watching
television (55%); the least in newspapers (19%) and magazines (15%).
The currently on-going global issue of pandemic.
Fake news circulating on social media and in person during an infectious
disease pandemic could make the outbreak worse. The coronavirus pandemic is rife with misinformation.
Misinformation runs rampant during times of unrest, and the COVID-19 pandemic
is no exception. Your library may be closed to the public, but you can still
help thwart misinformation by sharing media literacy resources via your website
or social media channels.
In the 2019 survey, social media companies emerged as the leading source of user distrust in
the internet — surpassed only by cybercriminals — with 75% of those surveyed
citing Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms as contributing to
their lack of trust.
5 ways to spot fake news
1. Look closely at the source. Fake news
creators are good at what they do. While some content has detectable errors,
others are sophisticated and strangely persuasive. So, take a closer look. Test
credibility by asking:
·
Where is the information coming from?
·
Is this piece satire?
·
Is the author of the article, bio, and
website legitimate?
·
Are studies, infographics, and quotes
appropriately attributed?
·
Is the URL legitimate (cnn.comvs. cnn.com.co)?
·
Are there red flags such as unknown author,
all capital letters, misspellings, or grammar errors?
2. Be discerning with viral content. Often a story
will go viral because it’s so unbelievable. So pause before you share. Google
the story’s headline to see if the story appears in other reliable
publications.
3. Pay attention to publish dates, context. Some viral
news items may not be entirely false, just intentionally shared out of context.
Fake news creators often pull headlines or stories from the past and present
them as current news to fit the desired narrative.
4. Beware of click-bait headlines. A lot of fake
news is carefully designed with user behavior in mind. A juicy headline leads
to a false news story packed with even more fake links that take you to a
product page or, worse, download malware onto your computer, putting your data and
privacy at risk. These kinds of fake news scams capitalize on
emotional stories such as the recent tragic death of basketball great Kobe
Bryant.
5. Verify information. It takes
extra effort, but plenty of sites exist that can help you verify a piece of
information. Before sharing that a piece of content, check it out on sites
like:
·
Snopes.com
·
Factcheck.com
·
Politifact.org
·
Opensecrets.org
·
Truthorfiction.com
·
Hoaxslayer.com
References
