How to Spot Fake News - FactCheck.org

Summary

Fake news is an age-old issue that has evolved with the rise of social media, allowing false stories to spread rapidly. FactCheck.org offers strategies to identify fake news, such as evaluating the credibility of a news source and scrutinizing headlines beyond their initial impression. Satirical content is often misinterpreted as real news, and readers should be wary of sensational bylines and dubious sources. Critical thinking can safeguard against confirmation bias, which reinforces preexisting beliefs, making it essential to verify stories with fact-checking platforms. Readers are encouraged to be the first line of defense in combating misinformation by remaining vigilant and informed.

Highlights

• Fake news thrives on social media, spreading faster than ever. 📲
• Satirical stories often disguise themselves as real news. 🧐
• Vigilance against sensational headlines is your best defense. 🛡️
• Scrutinize bylines and sources for signs of fakery. 🕵️‍♀️
• Be critical of stories that seem tailor-made for your biases. 🤔
• Use fact-checkers like FactCheck.org to confirm stories. 🖥️

Key Takeaways

• Fake news spreads faster through social media, making source credibility crucial. 📲
• Sensational headlines can be misleading; always dig deeper before sharing. 🕵️‍♂️
• Beware of satirical content masquerading as actual news. 📰
• Check the byline and sources. Fake bylines and sources are red flags! 🚩
• Old stories can be twisted into new lies, deceive with dates. ⌛
• Confirmation bias can trick readers into accepting fake news; always double-check. 🔍
• Utilize reputable fact-checking sites for the final verification. ✅

Overview

In an era where information flows more rapidly than ever, fake news remains a constant challenge, morphing with technology to reach a wider audience. The team at FactCheck.org emphasizes the importance of evaluating the legitimacy of a news source. Before sharing that shocking headline, take a moment to ensure that it's not just satire or outright fiction. Fake authors and eye-catching sources that evade fact-check scrutiny are red flags for eager readers.

Bogus stories sometimes emerge from the distortion of real events, twisted to match current narratives or to create sensational connections that don't exist. Such was the case with stories falsely linking recent events to long-past occurrences. FactCheck.org suggests that readers pull back and critically assess the credibility of such narratives. Readers' own biases often cloud judgment, making it crucial to recognize when an outrageous claim could be a product of misinformation.

As the first line of defense against fake news, readers must arm themselves with critical thinking and use reputable fact-checking sources like FactCheck.org or Snopes.com. These platforms provide rigorous evaluations of viral claims. It's not just about debunking fake stories but also about fostering a culture of informed skepticism and active verification. Next time a dubious story hits your social media feed, be the fact-checker and lead the way in truth-telling and misinformation battling.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction In this chapter titled 'Introduction', the focus is on the phenomenon of fake news, particularly how quickly false information can spread through social media compared to traditional methods like viral emails. The chapter emphasizes that many of these viral claims are not actual news but rather fiction, satire, or attempts to deceive. It provides strategies on how to protect oneself from fake news, such as evaluating the legitimacy and past reliability of the source.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Recognizing Satirical and Bogus Stories In this chapter, the focus is on recognizing satirical and bogus stories. A key point is the importance of not just skimming headlines but reading further to understand the full story. Legitimate news may have misleading headlines, but fake news, especially satirical ones, often provides clear indicators within the text itself. For instance, a comically fake story might attribute quotes to unlikely sources, such as a dolphin, highlighting the absurdity and intent to entertain rather than inform. Additionally, fake stories may lack proper by-lines or credible authors, which serve as red flags for readers.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Checking Sources and Claims The chapter titled "Checking Sources and Claims" emphasizes the importance of verifying the authenticity of stories before believing them. It provides an example of a story falsely attributed to a doctor with numerous prestigious awards, which was entirely fabricated. The chapter highlights the tendency of some fake news stories to cite official-sounding but false sources. Additionally, it discusses how certain false stories may not be wholly made-up but are rather distortions of actual events, twisting genuine news to suit a deceptive narrative.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Deceptive Websites Tactics Deceptive websites often manipulate old news stories to make them appear relevant by adding new misleading headlines and publication dates. This not only deceives the audience but also infringes on copyright laws.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Understanding Satire and its Impact This chapter discusses the nature of social media posts and how they can appear to be news but are primarily designed to generate ad revenue. It highlights the role of confirmation bias in how people often believe information that supports their pre-existing views while dismissing opposing information. The chapter encourages readers to critically evaluate social media content by investigating other stories from the same sources to determine their credibility.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Confirmation Bias and Social Media The chapter titled 'Confirmation Bias and Social Media' explores the concept of confirmation bias in the context of news consumption on social media platforms. It emphasizes how individuals may be inclined to believe stories that align with their biases, such as negative stories about disliked politicians. However, it warns against the spread of misinformation, even when such stories seem absurd, like the example of a fake news story about Antarctica retaliating with an earthquake. The chapter underscores the importance of relying on fact-checking organizations like factcheck.org and snopes.com to verify the authenticity of information before sharing it.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Fact-Checking Resources This chapter highlights the importance of using reliable fact-checking resources to verify viral claims on social media. It mentions The Washington Post Fact Checker and Politifact.com as valuable tools that may have already verified such claims. Additionally, it stresses that readers themselves are the first defense against misinformation and recommends visiting factcheck.org for more information.

How to Spot Fake News - FactCheck.org Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] fake news is nothing new but bogus stories can reach more people more quickly via social media than what good oldfashioned viral emails could accomplish in years past a lot of these viral claims aren't news at all but fiction satire and efforts to fool readers into thinking they're for real here are some strategies to Shield yourself from fake news are you familiar with the source is it legitimate has it been reliable in the past if not you may not want to trust it if a provocative
• 00:30 - 01:00 headline Drew your attention read a little further before you decide to pass along the shocking information even in legitimate news stories the headline doesn't always tell the whole story but fake news particularly efforts to be satirical can include several revealing signs in the text one fake story even attributed a quote to a dolphin if that had been real You could argue they buried the lead another Telltale sign of a fake story is often the by line if there even is one and in some cases the authors are not
• 01:00 - 01:30 even real one story was credited to a doctor who won 14 Peabody awards and a handful of peor prizes which would be very impressive if it wasn't also totally made up many times these bogus stories will cite official or official sounding sources but once you look into it the source doesn't back up the claim some false stories aren't completely fake but rather distortions of real events these mendacious Claims can take a legitimate news story and twist what it says or
• 01:30 - 02:00 even claim that something that happened long ago is related to current events one deceptive website took a story that was over a year old from CNN and slapped on a new misleading headline and publication date so on top of the deception there was copyright infringement remember there is such a thing as satire normally it's clearly labeled as such and sometimes it's even funny but it isn't the news and then there's the more debatable forms of satire designed to pull one over on the reader these posts are also designed to
• 02:00 - 02:30 encourage clicks and generate money for the Creator through ad Revenue but they aren't news we know this is difficult confirmation bias leads people to put more stock in information that confirms their beliefs and discount information that doesn't but the next time you're automatically appalled at some social media post concerning say a politician you oppose take a moment to check it out try this simple test what other stories have been posted to the news website that is the source of the story that just popped up in your social media feed
• 02:30 - 03:00 you may be predisposed to believe a story about a politician you don't like but if the alleged news site also features a story about guardians from Antarctica retaliating against America by hitting New Zealand with an earthquake maybe you should think twice before sharing and yes that earthquake story is a real example of a fake story that popped up we know you're busy and some of this debunking takes time but fact Checkers get paid to do this kind of work between factcheck.org snopes.com
• 03:00 - 03:30 The Washington Post fact Checker and politifact.com it's likely at least one has already fact checked the latest viral claim to pop up in your social media Newsfeed and remember Newsreaders themselves Remain the first line of defense against fake news to see more go to factcheck.org [Music]