Where do i start? to check fake news?
(You will learn more about these and other points in the “Details” section below.)
- How to recognize fake news
- Don’t be part of the problem
- The importance of truth
Details
1) How to recognize fake news
With the panoply of misleading information and fake news circulating the world, a reputable broadcaster must sift through the “news” to remove the “false” and present the facts to their audience in a precise and timely manner. ‘challenge.
Here is how you should ask questions about the stories presented to you:
Have a critical mind
One of the main factors that promotes the spread of fake news is the credibility of a large number of stories. Many contain an element of truth, but often lead to unjustified conclusions. Many fake news stories aim to create a traumatic effect *. This means that you have to control your emotions when you read, watch or listen to them. Try to take a critical approach to content and always ask yourself:
- Why was this story written?
- Is she trying to convince me from a certain point of view? (Remember that opinion pieces or editorials * are prevalent in daily newspapers, on the radio, and especially online. For example: a retired politician or a well-known researcher or writer might comment on a subject.) Sometimes articles are written with the aim of conveying a particular and possibly political opinion among listeners or readers, without revealing that the article represents the opinion of one person.
- Is she trying to elicit a particular reaction from me? For example: a radio report or daily or online article could present the successes and strengths of a politician without mentioning his failures with the (secret) aim of influencing your emotions and your vote in an upcoming election.
- Is she trying to sell me a particular product?
- Is she trying to get me to click through to a website or share the article myself?
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, make sure that the content of the article is true before sharing it.
Check the source
If you see a story from a source you don’t know, do more research. Is it from an unknown blogging site?
The majority of official news outlets cite or attribute the statements to credible sources in order to bolster credibility and include a variety of views in the article. If there is no source, chances are you are reading an opinion piece or some kind of fake news.
In addition, see the “Contact Us” page. The site should clearly state who owns, finances and maintains the site. For example: you must question the authenticity of the site if the email address is a gmail account!
gov, .net or a national top-level domain (for example: .gh for Ghana and .ml for Mali) are reliable, while URLs of websites with unknown or long domain names may not to be. Some fake news sites actually mimic official news outlets. If the URL, logo, or design seems strange, you might want to do more research.
Check out other articles the site has published. If, for example, you find out that the bulk of their articles have overblown titles, implausible content, shocking images, or photos of naked people, you should avoid believing what the article says and sharing it.Check the pictures
Modern editing software like Photoshop can make it easy for people to create fake images that look real. Watch out for warning signs like shadows pointing in the wrong direction, jagged edges around an image, color mismatches, or a background that doesn’t match the foreground very well.
Some fake news sites willfully use disturbing images or graphics to lure readers into reading the article.
