Is your news fake? Anything goes online
With the disturbing yet ever-increasing use of social media for news, readers must learn to better discern the difference between reliable news sources and biased, or fake, news. The speed of this internet-dependent world makes this challenging.
As Winston Churchill said, a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. The 2016 presidential race was an apt illustration.
In this country alone are based hundreds of fake news sites, some which deliberately imitate real life newspapers; propaganda sites; and others which toe the line between satire and plain misinformation. Too often their “articles” go viral on social media before the reposting mentions it’s a hoax, and by then the damage is done.
We’re becoming news-lazy, and increasingly gullible.
Some hosts of fake news get a big rush from it. Case in point is “The National Report,” which bills itself as “America’s Number 1 Independent News Source” and was started by Allen Montgomery (not his real name).
“There are times when it feels like a drug,” Montgomery told BBC. “There are highs that you get from watching traffic spikes and kind of baiting people into the story. I just find it to be a lot of fun.”
Fake news sites are about more than fun. There’s big money in ads, so the more traffic, the better draw for advertisers. Thus what social media users click on is where dollars go, and determines survivors.
What kind of news does the American public want? Real, or imaginary?
Montgomery says key to fooling people are exciting headlines and legitimate-looking domain names which sound like authentic news sites. Because most people no longer take the time to read an entire article, let alone verify it with other sources, fake news writers focus on the first few lines to sound legitimate, then don’t bother much.
So how do you tell if a site is real news? Snopes.com, Thatsfake.com, and Urbanlegends.com are fact-checkers dedicated to helping readers discern, both by checking out stories and with tips.
Seek and ye shall find. Fact-checkers warn against confirmation bias — looking for opinions or conclusions similar to your own. The bigger that psychological tug, the less reliable it probably is.
Careful with names. CNN or New York Times (and the Coeur d’Alene Press) are easily recognized as established news organizations. But how about those less known, but which sound good? The National Report, World News Daily, and News Examiner may sound legitimate, but they’re all well-known fakes. Some quite obviously insert the owner’s name in stories, add jokes or make extreme claims, but others are more clever with presentation, although still appealing to one side of an issue or particular philosophy, or playing on fears.
Date it. “News” that seems recent may be a rehash of an old hoax. The mean clown scare was one example. Links and quick searches to find similar stories may quickly reveal the same story years earlier, hopefully along with reports of its inaccuracy.
Is it reproduced? A quick search to find where and how a story is repeated is a good way to glance at its veracity. Is it repeated in other fake news or biased sites? Where repeated, is it the same story, or independently researched and expanded upon, including different viewpoints — as legitimate news outlets would do?
Some fake news falsely claims verification in legitimate news sites. Check that out at the legitimate site to call them on it.
Faked photos. Don’t believe everything you see, especially if it’s alarming or evokes strong reactions. Technology allows photo-doctoring which can look very real. No, that wasn’t a third breast. No, that woman’s eyes weren’t sewed shut. No, that shark was not 42 feet long.
Check with the fact-checkers. Sites such as Snopes.com, Thatsfake.com, Urbanlegends.com will quickly allay or confirm fake news suspicion. Sometimes the answer is mixed, so the parts which are true are noted.
Finally, Thatsfake suggests readers simply consider the type of source. Facebook or Twitter? Social media always needs careful verification. Get to the original story (not just the reposting or republishing), then check out that first source. Is it a large or established news reporting organization, not dedicated to any specific purpose or particular viewpoint? If the answer’s no, look elsewhere for truth.
“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” — Gertrude Stein
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Sholeh Patrick, J.D. has been a columnist for the Hagadone News Network for 14 years. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.