Fact-checking: Spot and Verify Information

Fake news is so rampant in today’s generation, particularly in the Philippines, that it has led to story revisionism and history distortion. Fake news is spread by people who aren’t even journalists but rather hired trolls. They are used to influence politics, health claims, and rumors by manipulating people’s views of reality. With that in mind, here’s a fast approach to sorting out facts, read Fact-checking: Spot and Verify Information.

The capacity to distinguish between true and false news is a valuable skill. This article will provide you insight into telling facts from fake. Check the…

Fact-checking: Spot and Verify Information

8. Consider/Check the source

When articles mention sources, it’s a good idea to look them up. Always seek authors or websites where the articles are published. Checking the sources enables you to think critically about the information’s legitimacy and validity. However, if you are not satisfied with the source given, try investigating its branches such as the supporting sources or rooted information. 

7. Read Beyond

When we speculate on articles or news, we should not limit ourselves to merely reading the headlines because this may be problematic at times and can be the source of misunderstanding. It is preferable to read the entire article and compare it to other relevant topics. 

6. Consider/ Check credentials

Before you trust a news article, make sure to examine the author’s credentials. Is the author an expert in the subject matter? or Does he/she have the necessary credentials? Most people who spread false news present themselves as professionals, so you have to perform a fast Google search to verify if the author can talk about the issue with authority and accuracy.

READ ALSO: 11 Free Teleconsultation Services for COVID and other Health Concerns

5. Consider/Check the dates

Just like grocery shopping, we always check the expiration dates of the products. When you fact-check news or story, you must have the most up-to-date information or the recent, because when you contrast it to older information, you will detect differences. 

Take, for example, an ongoing court case; when you say ongoing, you’re referring to the fact that it’s changing over time. Trolls have a propensity to distort old news to make you feel it is true; this is why we must consider the dates since they reflect when the journalists reported it. 

4. Consider/Check biases (Meme, Hate-speech, or Joke?)

This one is extremely popular on social media and is constantly used to attract the attention of the public. Trolls are notorious for fabricating news that is only half true, relying on the lines that are most convenient to them. They manipulate videos and photographs in certain cases, splicing them together and making them look so real. That’s why we should double-check it; there are usually context clues on a particular topic, and all you have to do is conduct a google search to confirm it. So, if something looks too good to be true, too strange, or too reactive, it most likely is.

3. Consider/Check “About Us”

One thing to keep in mind concerning trustworthy websites or publishing companies is that they will include an “About Us” section that will allow you to contact them.

2. Use CRAAP TEST

CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, and Purpose. 

1. Ask Experts

We can’t deny that there are real news and articles that are difficult to fathom, that’s why we need experts to help us. If you can’t find one within the length of your scope then you try using fact-checking sites such as FactCheck.org, Politifact, FAIR, OpenSectrets, and many more that you can check online. 

FIGHT AGAINST FAKE NEWS!

With only a few clicks, billions of individuals can access information on the internet. Misinformation can impact your opinion, therefore fact-checking is essential. As a result, your viewpoint might have a significant impact on your behavior. You may easily make bad judgments if you base your actions on false information. So, make sure you have gathered the ideas for fact-checking. Let’s fight against FAKE NEWS!