Interpreting the news: Guidance
It will not have passed you by that the term ‘Fake News’ has entered into regular use in our lives. The term, famously used by President Trump, is often used to refer to media with whom you disagree, but there are more dangerous examples of ‘fake news’ around in the form of actual lies.
In the age of the internet it is important that we are able to discern between facts and fiction in what we read. ‘Fake news’ is used as prominently on the left as the right.
Below are my top tips for discerning ‘fake news’. Please bear these in mind as you consume media and think more than twice before responding to, or sharing, articles with your networks.
SPOTTING FAKE NEWS:
1) SOURCE
There are a lot of satirical news websites who do not make it clear that they are as such. If you are not familiar with the news source, check the ‘about’ page to see what they say about themselves. Some sites are less upfront about their satire, such as The Boston Tribune. This website, however, offers no information on staff or its location as most genuine outlets would. If in doubt, don’t share the article. Don’t be afraid to stick to traditional news outlets.
2) BEYOND THE HEADLINE
Headlines can be provocative and misleading, read a little further down the article. A famous example on abcnews.com.co (looks legit) quoted a dolphin as being angry at Obama for ‘banning the pledge of allegiance in schools’. This article was shared tens of thousands of times during the Presidential elections.
3) AUTHOR
Legitimate news websites will often contain an ‘author page’ outlining the author’s history and achievements. You’ll often find satirical sites contain a comedy bio, or none at all. Satire sites often use a comedy author once.
4) CITATIONS
No journalist worth his salt will quote an article without a citation. If you read an article that claims “Popular figure has said...” without a link to where he said it, then dismiss the article. It is pure rumour. This also applies to scientific studies and surveys; the source should always be cited.
5) CHECK YOUR BIASES
We all suffer from confirmation bias, where we are naturally attracted to statements that confirm our beliefs. This is why we divide into Daily Mail, Guardian, Telegraph readers along our political lines.
Whatever you are reading ask yourself “is this what I want to be true?”, we often want our opposition to be responsible for something terrible, it justifies our outrage.
Photo by wuestenigel on Foter.com / CC BY
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