Fake News... no thanks
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The digital age has made the world able to connect globally. Nowadays the information from one place to another is a share within seconds, so people can be informed of what is happening throughout the world. Sometimes this information can be misleading and fake, tricking people by believing it is true, meanwhile it’s not. Fake news is deliberate lies that someone has written, with a purpose to manipulate and brainwash people to decide or do something in exchange.
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An example where this misinformation caused a big change in society was in the 2016 presidential elections in the United States. Stories about Hillary Clinton selling weapons to ISIS and Pope Francis that claim Trump for President were liked and commented hundreds and thousands of times on Facebook, with many people not being able to identify if the headlines were real or not. To prevent falling into the trap of fake news, people need to know what are the kinds of details that made a news fake. Media literacy is an essential skill to develop in this digital age since it’s the ability to identify and check the different types of media and understand the messages or the purposes they are sending. Which is why in this age it’s primordial to know how to identify them by having these tips in mind:
Who?
To be able to determine if the article is real or fake, first, it's needed to check the author's name. Which in some cases it will appear, it's better to do a little research of the author and see what their credentials are, but when it doesn’t the webpage of the article needs to be questioned. Is this site reliable or not?
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What?
The main purpose of a news article is to provide you with facts and various points of view. If the article only shows an only side, then this contained bias, which is a prejudice comment to someone or something. Readers should be aware of these situations since the can felt on the only sided part of the story instead of knowing all of it as it is. Meaning it's important to check other sources to get to know the other side of the story. Besides check for grammar and spelling errors, this could help you identify if its a well-research article.
Where?
To know if the article is reliable, it's needed to check the date of the post because it can indicate if the information is old or recent. It is important to note that not all information about the past years is reliable seems some of them can be discovered as disproven.
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Why?
Be aware that social media platforms are not organizations. Sometimes these platforms can show us content that looks attractive such as videos, photos, and quotes that may have been manipulated or even exaggerated. Also, know that videos and pictures can be also fake since now there is software that people can distort and photoshop content.
Readers need to ask themselves whats the purpose of the article. is it trying to inform or expose facts? is it trying to persuade me of something? or is it trying to entertain me, and who is it benefiting?
Source:
How to Spot Fake News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/spotfakenews/
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