What is fake news and how do I spot it?

What is the difference between news and fake news?

News is where you gain important information which allows you to formulate an opinion, attitudes and views about what is happening in the world at a particular moment. Fake news, also sometimes known as “misinformation or disinformation”, is when someone creates a false account about an event, person or group.

Did you know that for 12-15 year olds, Tik-Tok is the single biggest news source? And for 16-24 yr olds its Instagram. Why is this so alarming? While it is good that people are being exposed to a variety of news sources and opinions, the algorithms used by social media platforms shows users content similar to what they have already viewed. This means being exposed to one or two pieces of information provokes suggestions for more inaccurate or untrustworthy content. People are then unaware that they are consuming this inaccurate content and will formulate views and opinions based on what they have seen.

Misinformation is fake news that has not been created on purpose and is not created to intentionally mislead. It’s when real facts or events or news that have been taken out of context. Particularly on social media, videos can be shared very quickly, and posts with misinformation can be easily spread.

When the Covid pandemic hit people were confused and scared, things were shared online that meant accurate data and research was being swallowed up by people sharing their own views or thoughts online.

It is important to practise critical thinking when consuming and sharing news on social media. Question what you see online, has it come from a trustworthy source?

When checking the reliability of information online, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are there signs of photoshopping or altering of the original image?
• Can you find any other information to support the information that you are being told? Checking multiple sources is a great way to get a more rounded picture and to see something from different perspectives, this allows you to formulate an informed opinion.
• Has the information come from a reliable source? Can you trust them? Is the source known for producing trustworthy content?
• Is the information recent or is it an old story that has been dragged up to support a certain narrative?
• Is the headline accurate? Sometime headlines can be seen as “clickbait” or sensationalist. This can be damaging as many people will not read the full article and formulate an opinion based on just a headline.
• Is the article written using emotive language? This is a sign that the source is biased in some way, and they are provoking an emotional response from the reader.
• Is the person/ group sharing stories selectively to give the impression that a problem is bigger than it is? Or is caused by a certain group? For example, do they only share stories about crimes, but only when they are committed by a certain group?