We have all heard or seen certain individuals cry “Fake News!” whenever something is reported that they don’t like (you know, like the truth). In fact, the term has become so ubiquitous in society that it’s stating to become associated with “news I don’t want to read” rather than “false news.”
Despite this shift in language, false news reports are a very real thing. Recent studies show that fabricated news stories are 70 percent more likely to be spread through Twitter than verified ones. An Ipsos poll conducted in late 2016 drew an even more horrifying conclusion: that fake headlines, are successfully able to trick American adults 75 percent of the time.
So how can you tell fake news from legitimate and accurate reports? Try following these steps:
Step One: Don’t Just Read the Headline
Thanks The Fake News Generator for briefly making my dreams come true
We all know those people who share articles without reading them, content that the headline and social media blurb they have read is sufficient. Don’t be one of those people.
First, headlines can be deceiving. They are designed to make you want to read the article (so every time you share without reading you make an editor cry, by the way) without revealing too much or being too wordy. Social media platforms are strict on headline character limit too – making it hard to cram in all the info you need. Second, the social media blurb you see accompany most articles is also designed to make you click the article (so now you’ve made a social media manager cry too), not to give you all the information you need about its contents.
Headlines can also be completely made up, yet look legitimate. Make sure you investigate further.
TL;DR: Click the article and read it because headlines/blurbs are not meant to inform you.
Step Two: Check Out the Publisher
Source: The Media Bias Chart
Sometimes, fake news sites are really clever, working hard to pass themselves off as some other reputable news source. Make sure you check the address and investigate further if it looks suspicious. For example, no reputable news site has “.wordpress.com” or “.wix.com” as part of its domain. You should also be on the lookout for double domain endings, like “.com.co,” because again, very few reputable sites would want that kind of branding.
Once you’ve verified that the domain looks legit, you should move on to investigating the publisher. There are quite a few amazing discussions on media bias that are well worth investigating. Or, you could just check out the chart above.
Ask yourself why the publisher choose to release that particular piece. What kind of bias do they have and is the story likely to be accurate in light of that? For example, a site called Picard Is The Best run by individuals who proclaim their love for TNG at the exclusion of all else is probably not going to run a pro-Kirk piece, you know?
Also! Remember that not all “fake news” is created with ill intent. With politics the way they are today, the internet is filled with satire sites like The Onion and The Beaverton. News stories on these sites are completely fabricated, meant to provoke laughter. If a story seems too bizarre to be true or contains unrealistic facts, take a quick second and read the publisher’s “about” page to see if they are a satire site.
TL;DR: Ask yourself who published it and why.
Step Three: Look at the Date
Source: DailyMail – Probably not still relevant
If you can’t tell when an article was posted, it’s probably fake. Even news outlets that tend to recycle articles from time to time (like lists or personal essays) always include a date, so the absence of one is a big red flag.
Now that you’ve verified that the article does indeed have a date, make sure it is close to today’s date. News changes fast, and it isn’t uncommon for an article posted three weeks ago to be stale-dated today. It also isn’t uncommon to see articles that are five or more years old floating around – sharing these without context could lead to a lot of misunderstandings, especially among people who don’t complete step one.
TL;DR: When was the article printed? Is it still relevant? Does it even go to this school?
Step Four: Check Sources
Source: makeameme.org
Almost all reputable news articles contain at least one source, though two is preferable. These sources should point to a website or report that is unconnected with the first publisher, unless the story is an interview or other type of exclusive. In those cases, there should be quotes and other contributing sources. For example, reporting done in the New York Times and the New Yorker on the #MeToo movement cited multiple victims and corroborating quotes from others with knowledge of the situation.
Don’t just look for hyperlinks and call it a day, either. Make sure that the links are working and go to a site that supports what the author is saying. If there is an accompanying photo that looks off or suspicious, you can also check the photo source by conducting a reverse image search. This should let you know if it has been Photoshopped or not.
TL;DR: Is the article well-sourced? Sourced at all?
Step Five: Verify
Source: Snopes – this is the best “hold my beer story”
Things still seem fishy? Or are you still inclined to believe an undated, poorly sourced article? There is one last step – verify it. In most cases, you can usually search a fact-checking site like Snopes, PolitiFact, FactCheck, or the International Fact-Checking Network to be sure that the article you’re reading is accurate.
TL;DR: Eggs belong with bacon, not on your face, so take the extra few seconds to be sure things are true before sharing.
Telling real news from fake may seem tricky, but it can be done!
