How to recognize fake news 3

3. Think before you share.

Everybody has a part to play in making sure that false news doesn’t spread, especially when a big story is breaking. Before you pass anything along on one of your social networks, ask yourself these questions:

·       Could someone base an important decision (about their health, their career, travel, etc.) on this?

·       Is this about a hot or controversial issue?

·       Does this seem “too good to be true”?

·       Could people do things that they might regret based on this?

·       Could bad things happen because people thought this was true and it wasn’t?

If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes”, then you may want to do some more digging before you spread the news.

A list of sites that have a good reputation for finding the truth.

FactCheck.org

·       A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, this organization checks the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.

Truth or Fiction

·       A non-partisan website where "Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumours, fake news, disinformation, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email."

PolitiFact

·       PolitiFact staffer's research statements and rate their accuracy on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get the lowest rating, Pants on Fire.

Snopes.com

·       This highly regarded rumour analyzing site has been researching rumours since 1995.

Hoax-Slayer

·       Site that debunks email and social media hoaxes and educates web users about email, social media, and Internet security issues. Founded in 2003.

 

 

 

How to recognize fake news 2

 1. Check out the original source.

Don’t assume that a report is true just because lots of other people have shared it, it’s high in search results or it’s trending on a social network: hoaxers can manipulate these measures to spread their version of the story. Instead, open a new tab to go “upstream” and find the original source. This means finding the link to the original story and then going to the to the original story and evaluate it. Some questions to ask when you get to the source:

Did the story really come from the source listed? Instead of just following a link that might take you to a fake website, do a search for the website (or enter its web address if you know it) to double-check.

Does the source for the news have a good track record for accuracy? Do a search to find out what other people say about the source as well.

 Here are some other sites to help you check if the news is fake:

•   Fake Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts

o   A news item from NPR, with tips on how to self-check the news to ensure you're getting a real news story.

•  What are Confirmation Bias Examples?

o   "Confirmation bias is the tendency for people to selectively search for and consider information that confirms already held beliefs. People also tend to reject evidence that contradicts their opinions." This page has some examples of confirmation bias.

•  The Fact Checker’s guide for detecting fake news

o   Clear and quick tips for how to detect fake news, from the Fact Checker section of the Washington Post: "When you read them [articles], pay attention to the following signs that the article may be fake. There are fake news stories generated by both left-leaning and right-leaning websites, and the same rules apply to both."

2. Double-check photos and videos.

Fake photos and videos are some of the most common kinds of misinformation that go around when a big news story happens. Old photos can get shared sometimes, too. Make sure to double-check that a photo or video is current and for real before you spread it any further.

Do a search for the subject with the word’s “hoax” or “scam”, as in “shark subway station hoax”. Take the time to scan the snippets below each result before you click on one to make sure that it’s relevant to what you’re looking for, and open the results in a new tab so you can get back to your original search easily.

For pictures, you can do a search at TinEye (www.tineye.com ) or use a search engine. That will tell you where else the picture has appeared, and show you pictures that are similar (which is a good way to find out if an image has been manipulated).

You can also search on hoax-busting sites like Snopes. Go to www.snopes.com or do a site search, like this: “shark subway station site: www.snopes.com  ” . 

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

 

Bloggers and bias

Norm Farrell writing on his interesting  and enlightening blog Northern Insights said recently

In the non-commercial blog world, many bloggers hear the call, but most are overcome by the demands of maintaining a readable site. Published statistics range all over the map. One ad agency claimed in 2008 that "184 million people had started blogs" but no one seems to have counted the number who stopped. Ephemerality is a condition commonly ascribed to blogs. Rightly so since perhaps 80% of blogs last barely a month.

Bloggers who stay in the game for mere days probably had little to add to public dialog anyway but successful blogs become demanding and need to be fed often. A writer must have substantial interest in the chosen subject matter along with time to pursue the avocation

Having recognized the growing influence and power of the blog world, business strategists are establishing their own loyalists posing as citizen bloggers. Remember, whatever you read, wherever you read it, including this place, stay skeptical. Little you read comes free of bias.

I cannot help but agree with his statement that "blogs become demanding and need to be fed often". Writing a daily blog can be demanding even if you don't have an audience. I find the writing to be challenging and gives me an interest and a reason to do some research into areas, I would not have had a chance to explore. I have an interest in the political world, but choose not to write about it too much because there are so many other passionate people who I follow that present some of my views.

My friends do not follow politics as many of them are too involved in the daily excitement of life and life unexpected. Every now and then we talk about the BC or the Federal politic and we agree to disagree on issues and ideas. As my friends get older they are becoming more conservative (fiscal--not social) in their views, while I am becoming more liberal (small l). 

Churchill once stated. "If you are not a liberal at the age of 20, Then you have no heart. if you are not a conservative by the age of 40, then you have no brains." I would add to this quote the following: "If you are still a conservative at age 60, you have lost your youth"

What I find is that the attitudes that my friends have are shaped by the Main stream Media (MSM), and what is frustrating to me is that my friends do not see the bias that is in the MSM.  When I was a reporter in my University days, I quickly learned that a reporter's job is to present a balanced story, I don't believe this is true any more. I believe that a reporter is hired by his/her media to present the news that reflects the position of the ownership of the media, in a balanced format. This is different than presenting the information in an unbiased manner. 

In BC the MSM is controlled by a very few number of players and they have a business and conservative agenda, which is well presented, but there is no room for any other view in their world, which is unfortunate.