Have you ever heard that drinking bleach or alcohol cures COVID-19? Do you know someone that won’t get the vaccine because they plant a microchip with it? Have you received pictures of people without their masks at a protest rally claiming they’re recent but that were actually taken before the pandemic?
All of these are fake news that we can usually stumble upon on WhatsApp chain messages, Facebook posts or news web pages, have been present throughout history as distortions of reality that obey particular interests.
However, with the boom of Internet and social media in the last few years, they have become a recurrent issue that affects us as a society and that we are called upon to stop.
What are fake news?
They’re contents created with the intent of generating an opinion that favors the interests of a particular person or company. As Juan Camilo Arboleda (R.I.P.) explained to us, “they’re prefabricated contents with a political intention that aim to silence something while making something else visible”.
The Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications defines fake news as “sensational stories or ads, usually shared through social media to emotionally engage their readers, generate attention and render profits to its makers by way of clicks and viralization”.
So, how can we tell if we’re dealing with fake news at any given time? Here are 6 tips for spotting them:
1.Check the source
Where is the information you’re receiving coming from? The Freedom Forum Institute recommends checking the “About us” or “Contact us” sections on the website where the info is hosted, as well as googling the name of the news media company. If you’re dealing with a WhatsApp message, ask whoever sent it to you where the information comes from.
If you can’t find a satisfying answer after your search, don’t spread the information.
2.Contrast information
If you see a particularly eye-catching news story, search for it in other media. If it’s not there, question it’s authenticity, or at least wait for a couple of hours: the information may be in the process of being confirmed.
3.Look for the date of publication
Fake news are not always 100% fake information, they can also be out of context news or rumours that surface at specific situations. If you get a WhatsApp message or see a social media post, ask yourself: have I heard something similar before? If it’s on a webpage, look for the date of publication, it may be from another moment.
4.Analyze the image
Fake news are usually paired with pictures that have been notably altered or manipulated. Can you spot a montage?
The Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications recommends doing an inverse Google image search on any pictures that raise questions for you.
5.Check the spelling
Fake information usually has poor spelling or grammar errors. Things like several exclamation marks together or lack of punctuation are telltale signs that should make you doubt.
6.Go to the primary source
If you get a WhatsApp message or audio that raises questions, try to confirm it by going to the primary source, such as the official communication channels of the institution or person that the information you received talks about.
