How to spot fake news: Part six — consider the reporter and publication
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”
― Stephen R. Covey
This is part six of my series on how to spot fake news. Follow the links to read part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, and part seven.
The final test of a news story is the publication.
This isn’t something you can do in the moment. Rather it is learning over time if a story is trustworthy or not.
There are a number of different ways a publication or journalist can be deceptive or peddle bad news.
Laziness, inexperience, or other lack of rigour
There are a lot of reasons for this and they don’t always have to be deliberate — but they do all end up spreading fake news.
A lazy journalist or publication can put up a story that is fake because they couldn’t be bothered to check the sources.
A hungry journalist can put up a fake story because they are trying to beat their competition or do too much at once.
