Altaf Qadri / AP
In this Tuesday, April 2, 2019, file photo, a man browses through the Twitter account of Alt News, a fact-checking website. A new survey says half of U.S. adults consider fake news a major problem, and they mostly blame politicians and activists for it.
Monday, Jan. 27, 2020 | 8:53 a.m.
Now that Nevada has officially obtained electoral “battleground” status, we've been bombarded by political ads and news stories. With that comes an inevitable wave of misinformation, as seen in 2016, when, Congress and the FBI have concluded, Russian-backed politically oriented false news stories were disseminated through social media with the intent of influencing the election’s outcome.
While the extent of how “fake news” and online misinformation influenced voting choices, it’s crucial to stay vigilant online and exercise critical thinking skills. Here’s a comprehensive guide to media literacy for 2020.
Follow the byline
Established journalists generally work on an assigned beat, sometimes for years, making them quasi-experts on a topic. If you’re interested in following a particular issue, follow the journalist covering it.
A simple google search of the story’s byline is also a helpful exercise in determining whether the source can be trusted. Notorious fake news writer Paul Horner, who died in 2017, often used the fake byline “Jimmy Rustling” on his fraudulent articles.
Look at the URL. Does the URL look off in some way? URLs that contain spelling errors or end in extension like “.infonet” and “.offer” instead of “.com” or “.edu” are highly suspect. Some URLs can be especially sneaky and give off an air of legitimacy, like Horner’s cnn.com.de.
Escape the self-affirming echo chamber
Just like a cult, an echo chamber welcomes its members with open arms and promises of safety and solidarity. Members will encounter beliefs and opinions that coincide with their own, and will either mistrust—or perhaps never see—opposing viewpoints.
Social media is also set up to keep users in echo chambers by relying on algorithms based on past online activity to determine what content the user can see. Sites like Reddit that enlist a rating system can also be dangerous, because they allow users to participate in an experience that aligns with their own political views.
Pulling out of these echo chambers can require a great deal of self-discipline. Being exposed to different opinions and having an intellectual curiosity that extends beyond personal viewpoints can be helpful in becoming more open-minded, and interrogating your own beliefs.
If it sounds fake, it probably is
If you’re scrolling through Twitter or Facebook and come across a story triggering your internal alarm, trust your gut and double-check it. Are other sources covering this story? Or maybe a fact-checking website has already debunked the story or claim.
Determine the context
Sometimes legitimate stories and columns are misinterpreted as “fake” when taken in the wrong context. For example, editorials and guest columns often represent individual opinions (even though some might incorporate original reporting). Don’t let an opinion piece be the sole source of informing yourself on a particular topic. Another basic step that’s often missed: determining whether an article is intended as satire and not meant to be taken seriously.
Old news can be misleading
News stories often resurface from the graveyard of old news. These are legitimate news stories that are taken out of context and weaponized to mislead people. That’s why it’s always crucial to check the date of a piece before sharing it.
Helpful sites for media literacy and fact-checking
• Propaganda Critic: This website is dedicated to educating the public on critically analyzing media messages and the way propaganda techniques influence democracy. It also has educational videos and games about media literacy.
• Google image search: A picture might be worth a thousand words, but it can often be misleading when used in the wrong context. Over the summer, a slew of world leaders and celebrities shared an image of the Amazon Rainforest on fire, with calls to action to save it. While the overall message—that the Amazon has faced a large number of forest fires this year—is true, some of the photos were shot almost 16 years ago and didn’t accurately portray the whole story. A reverse image search can help determine the authenticity and origin of an image. Simply click the camera icon on Google Images and upload the image, or paste the URL.
• Media Bias/Fact Check: This is a good way to evaluate the factual accuracy and bias of news sources and media outlets. Sources are ranked on a political bias spectrum from left to right, with least biased in the middle. Note: Its rating system is in no way scientific, so take each rating with a grain of salt.
• Fact-checking websites. Some news organizations have a staff dedicated to checking the accuracy of statements from public officials and politicians, along with debunking viral misnomers. Two of the most popular are The Washington Post’s Fact Checker and the Poynter Institute’s Politifact.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
