Fake News is Becoming More Relevant, So Here is How to Catch it
In today’s generation mostly, everyone has some sort of social media and that is where most people get their news from. It is so accessible to everyone and the fastest method of receiving news. With social media though, it can bring some big problems as in fake news.
In the past, the news information that would be put out to the public either through newspaper or television was always controlled and if they were wrong with the information that company would take the backlash. Now, things have changed a lot and that is because anybody on social media can say incorrect things about someone or something, and some people will think it is true.
This has become a big problem when it comes to social media, this is why the term “Fake News” has become more popular. The term was used by The President of the United States of America Donald Trump when he was running for presidency in 2016. He claimed the Democrats would put false information and makeup stories about him to hurt his image. He would then use this term when asked about these allegations that were directed at him.
As is states in the article “What is ‘Fake News”, “Fake news is a term used to refer to fabricated news. Fake news is an invention — a lie created out of nothing — that takes the appearance of real news with the aim of deceiving people. This is what is important to remember: the information is false, but it seems true.”
When reading something online it is very important to find out if it is true or not. Fake news is intended to damage someones image and their reputation.The last thing you want to be doing is sharing false information, and every newsworthy thing should always be fact checked.
Example of “Fake News”
After looking for a fake news on Twitter with the help of Tweet Deck, I was able to find a post and fact check it. The Example is below.
Click here to watch the video.
This just shows that not everything on the internet is true. With the Covid-19 situation there is many false reports being put out as the first one showed.
Many reports are saying there are deaths but in reality if you are really ill already and then get Covid but you die from the illness that you got before Covid, they will state your death as Covid. The first tweet is also claiming that the deaths are all related to Covid-19, but they do not talk about how some of those people were in bad health conditions already. The first tweet is also saying that doctors and hospitals are not getting paid more for Covid deaths, but the video from the second post says otherwise. In the video it fact checks most things the first tweet is saying. The CDC is now saying some breaking information, that is the deaths from Covid is at 6%.
Finding the unique identification code
Finding the post’s unique identification code helps the reader check when the post was published and if it was shared on other social network platforms. As is says in “IOT Agenda”, “A unique identifier (UID) is a numeric or alphanumeric string that is associated with a single entity within a given system. UIDs make it possible to address that entity, so that it can be accessed and interacted with.” Said Margaret Rouse.
The blue circle below shows the unique identification code for the tweet that was used for the example.
Find date and time stamps
The date and time stamps for a post are so important because you can always fall back on those two things to verify if the information is true or not. The date and time should always be accurate when publishing new information and if it does not look correct then it is most likely fake news.
Digital Footprints
When it comes to digital footprints they help the reader connect them to other post they have made across other platforms and it also lets you see their credentials. Their credentials can show you if they are being a serious person or if they are just posting false information out to the public to start rumors.
Dr. Samadi has a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a YouTube Channel. He is very credible and knows a lot about the medical field. He has a lot of experience, so he has seen it all.
