Clickbait, propaganda and misleading information or “fake news” may present false information in a way that the reader may believe it is true. Fake news on social media can be easily shared with just a click or two and leave impressions on millions of people in just hours through the internet. Fake news is more likely to be shared due to the catchy titles and shock value. Twitter and Facebook are the most common social media sites for this type of content to be shared. As users of these platforms, we should be wary as to if the information we are passing along comes from a credible source or has any fact-checking within it.
Sharing an article without reading the full story or further investigation is not wise. This reduces the sharer's credibility, can promote the spread of false information, and misinform the general public.
With the coronavirus pandemic, we are bombarded with news stories and a large portion of them are fake. With this crisis having such a large media influence it is more important now than ever to filter out false news which can lead to unnecessary panic and fear. With modern technology, we are more connected than ever, but that has its downsides as well. Lies and false information can spread faster than ever before.
It starts with the platform. Twitter for example filters out untrustworthy sources from their news pages. Facebook takes a similar approach by using an algorithm to ban links selling high demand items or falsely advertising cures for the coronavirus.
Here are some more ways to spot fake news, according to Forbes and Facebook.
1. Use verified sources as news sources, such as accounts with verified badges on twitter.
2. Be skeptical of headlines.
3. Investigate the source
4. Watch for poor formatting or spelling errors.
5. Check the dates
6. Look at other news sources for the same story
7. Check for sources and citations within the article
8. Make sure the story is not a joke or intentionally false story.
9. Flag or report any news you believe to be false
Elise - please look at our thumbnails from the example on Blackboard (that was used in that lecture in class), and the thumbnail examples from the Resume project. If I am going by these thumbnails, there isn't a hashtag you have written, or a logo / header / subhead... etc. Plus, you need to proportionately and neatly draw the thumbnail outlines. Please make sure to do this and then post your next round of thumbnails so they follow the instructions and criteria of the project. Let me know if you have any questions -
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