Social media has turned everyone into a newscaster. Most people have abused the privilege offered by social media to dish out fake news. Currently, identifying fake news is one of the challenges facing the mass media.
Sadly, fake news seems to go viral more than the real ones. Could it be because most people don’t verify before reposting on their social media handles ? Yes, confirmation and verification bias has added fire to the spread of fake news.
No doubt fake news has created a lot of storms and bad blood in the world. Let’s show you how to identify fake news.
Vet the Publishers Credibility
If you come across a story on any platform, you need to diligently check or verify the publisher’s credibility. Most often, fake news is put up because of havoc or creates an atmosphere of fear. To verify the publisher’s credibility, take a look at their domain name, visit their “About Us” section and do a background check on the author. A publisher that always writes for some specific clients will never find anything pleasing from the activities of his client opponents.
Spelling Errors
A red flag that a publication is fake is the presence of too many spelling errors. Also, if you find dramatic punctuations and a lot of CAPS, then the publication may be gotten from a fake source.
Also, you can search to know how current the story is. Most often fake news is recycled or published out of context.
Verify the Source and Citation
You need to be careful with content that pops up on your social media feed or is promoted by a site known for clickbait. Even if a close friend shared the story, trade with caution before you share. Lack of quotes and contributing sources is a way to know that the story is fake especially if it’s a complex issue. Fact-finding is one of the attributes of credible journalism. If you must, find out if the story is on other credible platforms too.
Develop a Critical Mindset
Fake news spread so fast because it is often believable and appears to be true. To avoid spreading fake news too, you need to develop a critical mind. Ask why the story was written and for what purpose? Or is it to sell a product or personality? To be too quick to absorb all information too.
Ask the Pros
Based on the fluff of fake news on social media, some website has dedicated their services to verify most news published online. They often go a step further to verify the authenticity of the story by carrying out basic checks.
The Last Take
Some countries have started regulating the activities of their citizens on social in other to curb fake news. More so, other countries will follow suit. The damage done by fake news is irreversible. Therefore, it has become imminent to verify all stories before sharing them on our social media or any other platform. Foreign News tends to have this challenge.{“mode”:”full”,”isActive”:false}
