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What's wrong with fake news?
What's wrong with fake news?
Why should you care about whether or not your news is real or fake?
- You deserve the truth. You are smart enough to make up your own mind - as long as you have the real facts in front of you. You have every right to be insulted when you read fake news, because you are in essence being treated like an idiot.
- Fake news destroys your credibility. If your arguments are built on bad information, it will be much more difficult for people to believe you in the future.
- Fake news can hurt you, and a lot of other people. Some fake news sites are heavily visited and their lies are dangerous.
- Real news can benefit you. If you want to buy stock in a company, you want to read accurate articles about that company so you can invest wisely. If you are planning on voting in an election, you want to read as much good information on a candidate so you can vote for the person who best represents your ideas and beliefs. Fake news will not help you make money or make the world a better place, but real news can.
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What Makes a News Story Fake?
What Makes a News Story Fake?
1. It Can't Be Verified
A fake news article may or may not have links in it tracing its sources if it does, these links may not lead to articles outside of the site's domain (URL address) or may not contain information pertinent to the article topic.
Check snopes.com to see if the story has already been reported as false or partially false.
2. Fake News Appeals to Emotion
Fake news plays on your feelings - it makes you angry or happy or scared. This is to ensure you won't do anything as pesky as fact-checking.
3. Authors Usually Aren't Experts
If you look up the main idea of a fake news article, you might not find any other news outlet (real or not) reporting on the issue. You can easily Google or check LinkedIn to see just how much of an "expert" this author may be.
4. It Can't Be Found Anywhere Else
If you look up the main idea of a fake news article, you might not find any other news outlet (real or not) reporting on the issue. OR if it's on a different site it is leading back to the same URL address.
5. Fake News Comes from Fake Sites
Did your article come from a news site but has .co after it? This are false sites playing off of a reputable site.
Or from a site in which the address proclaims "real news", "the truth", "not fake". If a site has to claim they are telling the truth most likely they are trying to mislead you.
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What Kinds of Fake News Exist?
What Kinds of Fake News Exist?
There are four broad categories of fake news, according to media professor Melissa Zimdars of Merrimack College.
CATEGORY 1:
Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits.
CATEGORY 2:
Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information
CATEGORY 3:
Websites which sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions
CATEGORY 4:
Satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news
Learn which sites are truly satirical spoofs such as Wisconsin's own The Onion.
No single topic falls under a single category - for example, false or misleading medical news may be entirely fabricated (Category 1), may intentionally misinterpret facts or misrepresent data (Category 2), may be accurate or partially accurate but use an alarmist title to get your attention (Category 3) or may be a critique on modern medical practice (Category 4.)
Some articles fall under more than one category. Assessing the quality of the content is crucial to understanding whether what you are viewing is true or not.
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How to Fact-Check Like a Pro
How to Fact-Check Like a Pro
1. Is it Old?
Like eggs and milk, information can have an expiration date.
In many cases, use the most up-to-date information you can find.
2. Consider the Source AND Check the Sources of Information
When an article cites sources, check them out!
Sometimes, official-sounding associations are really biased think tanks or only represent a fringe view of a large group of people.
If You can't find sources, search withing vetted DATA BASE tools and read as much about the topic as you can.
Check snopes.com to see if the story has already been reported as false or partially false.
3. Is it a Joke?
If what you're reading seems too good to be true, or too weird, or too reactionary, it probably is.
4. Trace the Image
TinEye and Google Images can both reverse image search to find out exactly where an image came from.
First right-click on an image and copy image location.
Then paste that image URL into the the search box to see the results of how and where that image has been used online.
5. Is it Biased?
Does the article seem to lean toward a particular point of view?
You may not be getting the whole story, only one interpretation.
6. Check the Author
Is the author specialized in the field that the article is concerned with?
Does s/he currently work in the field?
Check LinkedIn or do a quick Google search to see if the author is legitimate? Better yet put the author's name in one of the MHS databases to see if they have written anything else.
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Check a claim.pdf(Source)
Things to think about
Things to think about
1. Real news is presented by real news sources. Check your news source for a code of ethics or a mission statement.
2. Real news is written by reporters with degrees in journalism and, often, in the fields in which they write.
3. The primary goal of real news is to inform. If you're mad, scared, furious or anxious, you will want to investigate the article's claims further. What kind of language is being used? Do you see a lot of exclamation points and words in bold? Are the images positive or negative?
4. Real news can be verified. You should be able to find reports, statistics and other real news articles that support what you're reading. Are there links to credible sites provided? If there are multiple sources of information, or is it all from one?
5. What is the main idea of the article? Is it easy to find? Does the article make sense?
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Other tips
Other tips
- When you open up a news article in your browser, open a second, empty tab. Use that second window to look up claims, author credentials and organizations that you come across in the article.
- Fake news spans across all kinds of media - printed and online articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, radio shows, even still images. Be prepared to double-check everything.
- Beware of confirmation bias. Just because you might agree with what an article is saying doesn't mean it's true.
- As Mad-Eye Moody said in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, "Constant Vigilance!" Always be ready to fact check.
- Check the author, check the date, check the source. Most of all, check your gut.
- Even the best researchers will be fooled once in a while. If you find yourself fooled by a fake news story, use your experience as a learning tool.
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Fake or Real?
Fake or Real?
- Food Babe: How Food Companies Exploit Americans
- This article claims that US consumers ingest chemicals that people in other countries don't. Is that true? What else does this article imply?
- NPR: Man pulls 5 1/2 foot long tapeworm out of his body
- Eeeyew, gross! But is it fact or fake?
- Getting to the Root of Acne
- Up for the challenge of proving or disproving this one?
- Newser: Guy Whose Property Was Being Seized Left Crazy Booby Traps
- Is this a likely story? You decide!
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