How to recognize fake news 1

The Internet is the greatest information technology ever developed: every minute, four million YouTube videos are viewed, 3.5 million Google searches are performed, and 156 million emails are sent.

The Internet and social media have made it easier for everybody to access, share and publish information, but that has come at a cost: it’s harder than ever to tell the difference between accurate information and advertising, misinformation, and parody, and it’s easy for any of us to help spread false information without meaning to.

Because so many of us turn to online sources for information, authentication (the process of verifying that information is true, unbiased, and relevant) can no longer be something we only preach but do not do, our health, our finances, and even system of government depend on having and sharing good information.

We have to recognize that no news source is unbiased, but some will be more reliable than others. Here are some markers of a reliable news organization:

•  Accuracy: If they can’t get the little things right – people’s names, statistics, etc. it’s hard to trust them on the big things.

•  Willingness to acknowledge gaps and correct mistakes: Do they admit when they don’t have all the information? When they do make mistakes, do they admit and correct them?

•  The separation between opinion and news: Most news outlets have an editorial “slant,” but that shouldn’t affect the news they cover. For instance, if the editorial generally supports one political viewpoint, does the news still cover stories that could offer a contrary perspective?

•  Identification of sources: While legitimate news outlets do sometimes use anonymous sources, most of the time sources should be identified. When statistics are given, it should be possible to follow them upstream to their source as well.

How do you determine if a news story is real or fake? It is not easy, but there is help. In a 2016 story,  "How To Recognize A Fake News Story" by Nick Robins-Early, Huffington Post, Nov. 22, 2016, the author posted the following picture. To read the whole story and more information on the list provided go to:  How to Recognize a Fake News Story (Huffington Post)

There are some other ideas to help you in the next post