Fake VS Real News: How to Spot the Difference
Fake news is something we see all over the internet today. On social media and the internet, we run into fake news quite often, making it important to be able to tell the difference between what’s real and fake online. Spotting fake news can be difficult because fake news articles can often seem legitimate until you look deeper into the background and sources of the story.
Let’s start by explaining what exactly is considered “fake news”. Fake news consists of deliberately misleading information or hoaxes. They’re most commonly spread through online social media and broadcast news media, but can also be seen in traditional print media. Ever since the 2016 United States Presidential Election, fake news has been on the rise. During the election, fake news stories were circulated predominantly through social media.
How to Spot Fake News:
#1: The first step in spotting fake news is to look at the sources of the article. Oftentimes, we forget to check the sources of an article to determine its accuracy. Many people like to assume anything that is posted online is likely true. Unfortunately, this is how fake news can often become viral. When people share fake news articles with all of their social media friends, it creates a cycle of unknowingly sharing misleading information, leading to fake news becoming viral. Checking to make sure an article has legitimate sources and references can help determine if the article is reliable and accurate.
#2: Biased news articles are another important thing to watch out for. Completely unbiased news can be hard to find, but some news outlets are better than others when it comes to keeping their views neutral and trying to remain as objective as possible. Especially in politics, biased articles are actually quite common. It’s nearly impossible for an article to be 100% unbiased, especially with politics, but looking for articles with a neutral ground and less bias will help steer you away from the fake news.
#3: Is the article only posted on one news outlet? This is a useful tip for determining how reliable a news article is. If you run into a suspicious article online, check other sources to see if that same story is being shared on other news outlets. If only one news outlet is circulating the story, it may be fake news.
Fake news can be dangerously misleading and eventually needs to be stopped. You can avoid fake news by checking the sources, weeding out biased articles, checking to see if a story is posted on multiple news outlets. These are three of the most effective tips and tricks for spotting fake news.
