A CHECKLIST FOR SPOTTING FAKE NEWS
JULY 15, 2020 — HANNAH RICHTER
The term ‘fake news’ became popularised by Craig Silverman, a Buzzfeed journalist, after first posting about it back in 2014. It is a term used to describe any type of news that is false, or content that deliberately consists of disinformation. However, over the years, as it has grown, the term has taken different meanings, and is often used by Trump to purely describe any type of news (or newspapers) he doesn’t agree with.
It is not only the term ‘fake news’ that has grown over the years however; false information itself is spreading at an exponential rate, and now, during the current pandemic, it’s increasing more than ever. Fake news is amplified by individuals, like you and me, through sharing, commenting, and liking posts on social media. RNTC’s infodemic toolkit explains the three reasons why false information can spread so quickly on social media:
Algorithms: social media favours sensationalistic news, promoting it and labeling it with high importance on the platforms.
Strategic engagement: social media ads can be used to share false information to specific audiences, with organised networks and bots being used to spread the content further. People who are vulnerable to false information are reached easily and used as an amplification mechanism as well.
Selective exposure: people tend to share stories that are aligned with their pre-existing beliefs and opinions, whether they are factual or not.
So how can YOU help stop the spread of fake news? Well first, you need to recognise when something is false. This checklist below will help you understand how to spot fake news.
1. Check the source
Was it posted initially by a reputable news source?
Was it posted or shared by a bot? Have a look at the individual’s profile, if you answer ‘yes’ to the following questions, there is a high chance the source may be a bot, generated by an algorithm:
Does their username or handle have a mix of random letters and numbers?
Do they post over 70 times a day, but are an unverified account?
Do they only re-share content, but post none of their own comments.
Does the account mainly share hateful or inflammatory content? If so, this account is probably a #HobbyHater, and they often like to use and share fake news.
2. Check the whole article
Don’t just read the headline! Before you even think about sharing anything on social media, you should ensure you have read the entire article.
As headlines are continuously created to be click-bait, they may not match up to the actual context of the article, they could be misleading, or even have absolutely nothing to do with the article itself.
Check the date. Old articles are often recirculated without having anything to do with current affairs. Also check the dates of the sources and statistics the article uses.
3. Check the author
Firstly, is there even an author listed?
If you aren’t completely sure the author of an article is legitimate, see if you can find any other articles by them. If you can, do they look legitimate?
Beware of fake authors. Recently it emerged that fake authors promoting and praising the United Arab Emirates had been published across several British and US right-wing news sites.
4. Check the images
Images can often resurface years after they were first used, linked to a new story or article. You can check when an image first appeared on the web using platforms like Google, Bing, or TinEye.
Zoom into the picture to look for clues that the real location is not where the article says it is.
Use tips from Bellingcat to help debunk an image.
5. Check other reporting on the topic
If the story is a big one, chances are it will have been reported on by a number of different outlets. Check how other news sites are reporting on it, is there an overlap in the facts and figures?
If you find no other platforms or outlets reporting on the story, there is a high chance it is fake. Still, make sure to check how balanced (or biased) the article is.
Check whether all the platforms reporting on the topic use the same (single) source material.
6. Check yourself!
Reflect on why this article drew your attention. Did you read it purely because it appeals to you and you agree with it? Do you believe it because you WANT to believe it?
We often filter information based on how positively it aligns with our already established beliefs. This can occur consciously, or subconsciously. Accepting information that reinforces our pre-established biases and disregarding any that gives us discomfort is a big factor behind the success of fake news.
So, check your biases, question information you read, and always research further, before you hit that share or like button!
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