I didn't really plan on writing a blog today. I thought maybe posting a blog four days in a row would possibly be oversaturation. But, then I heard something that triggered my mind into contemplating on a subject I've been wanting to write about. Then, I thought, "No. I'll wait until tomorrow or Friday." But, I opened Facebook and lo and behold there staring me in the face was the very thing I'd been contemplating writing on, fake news.
Facebook had placed in my news feed a guide to detecting fake news and how to determine if a article is legit. I'm sure the grilling from Congress and the having to admit the Russians infiltrated Facebook feeds with false and/or misleading stories forced this guide's publishing. In any event it lead me to deciding to write a blog. I am going to go over each bullet point because it's important. Fake news is real. And, it's not difficult to see how it influenced the 2016 election and how it will likely influence the 2018 midterm elections.
I'm sure some people will now blow off this blog but I hope enough people will just give it a read and consider that maybe they can be myopic in their thinking at times and that living in their bubble without ever venturing outside of it can be dangerous. And, it is silly to never vet a news source to make sure it's legit and the articles they are publishing are, first exist, and are legit.
The following are the guidelines from Facebook (My thoughts are in parentheses.):
1.Be skeptical of headlines. False news stories often have catchy headlines in all caps with exclamation points. If shocking claims in the headline sound unbelievable, they probably are. (This is very true. As a journalism major I can tell you rarely does a headline have an exclamation point. Headlines are designed to get your attention. However, if your first thought is, "Wow! That sounds crazy! That sounds weird!" It is 99.5% of the time. Real stories have eye-catching headlines; not the shit you see on a National Enquire front page.)
2. Look closely at the URL. A phony or look-alike URL may be a warning sign of false news. Many false news sites mimic authentic news sources by making small changes to the URL. You can go to the site to compare the URL to established sources. (Yes, you should watch this closely. Same goes for Facebook and Twitter handles. I'll admit I've been fooled a few times. Often the differences between the fake name and the real name are subtle, but after a little inspection the difference is noticeable.)
3. Investigate the source. Ensure that the story is written by a source that you trust with a reputation for accuracy. If the story comes from an unfamiliar organization, check their "About" section to learn more. (This is the most difficult rule that is listed. Let's be honest here sometimes reputable sources like Fox News post stories that are false. They have enough truth in them to avoid libel charges or they're littered with quotes that are more opinion than fact. But, this goes to people believing what they wanna believe. My best advice is before believing a source is to see if other news sources are reporting the same story or something similar. But, then we get into what is "reputable". Some people think the New York Times and the Washington Post aren't reputable but sources like alt-right and White Nationalists sites are. Can't always compete with willful ignorance and willful racism. My compromise would be if you're right leaning check the Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, New York Post, The National Review or even Sinclair. If they aren't reporting it also, it's likely false. Same goes for left leaning people. Checkout Huffington Post, The Root, MSNBC or Rawstory. If none of them are reporting something you read, it's probably not true.)
4. Watch for unusual formatting. Many false news sites have misspellings or awkward layouts. Read carefully if you see these signs. (Look, I'm no fan of alot of Fox News. But, their actual news corp is solid. They're not illiterate. Same goes for Breitbart. I find their narratives on many things to be repulsive and racist; however, their writers can punctuate and actually employ spell check. If you read some shit that looks like it was written by a fifth grade remedial student, it's highly likely it's a Russian bot or some highly partisan (on both sides) assclown that is spouting off. Or, *sigh* it's um...the President's Twitter feed. Trumpsters, don't get in your feelings. You know I speak the truth.)
5. Consider the photos. False news stories often contain manipulated images or videos. Sometimes the photo may be authentic, but taken out of context. You can search for the photo or image to verify where it came from. (Yassss! Google is your friend. It's not some tool of the establishment meant to brainwash you. Stop that ignant ish! Just stop it. A quick search on the internet will tell you if a photo or video is real and will provide you if it's being used in proper context. Again, you have to realize what's legit, whether you like the source or not. If the photo comes from CNN, it doesn't automatically make it "fake news". Use commonsense and quit being remedial. Yeah, I said it!)
6. Inspect the dates. False news stories may contain timelines that make no sense, or event dates that have been altered. (This is commonsense. If a story is saying Hillary Clinton accused Trump's administration of trying to secretly start up slavery plantations and the story is dated "May 23, 2005", it's obviously fake. Do I really need to say don't share or retweet that garbage? Yes, I need to say it! Don't share or retweet that garbage!)
7. Check the evidence. Check the author's sources to confirm that they are accurate. Lack of evidence or reliance on unnamed experts may indicate a false news story. (I can already hear Trumpsters now. See! See! Anonymous sources! No, Skippy. Slow ya roll. Any journalist has to use anonymous sources at some point. If a reporter is using one source without any verification from another source or documents it may be false. If they're using multiple sources (anonymous or otherwise), there is likely at least some truth to the story. *Side note: If someone is only denying the story but taking no action against the author, the story is true!* Again, a little research will do you a lot of good. Research the reporter. Checkout their history. If they don't have a history of false reporting it's legit. And, false reporting doesn't include negative reporting against your candidate or reporting you don't like.)
8. Look at other reports. If no other news source is reporting the same story, it may indicate that the story is false. If the story is reported by multiple sources you trust, it's more likely to be true. (As I stated above, if nobody else is reporting it, it's probably false. For example, MSNBC will often say something like, "Heidi Pryzbilla of USA Today is reporting.... NBC has not independently verified this story, but are working on it." Then, 20 minutes later they may say, "NBC News is now verifying what Heidi Pryzbilla reported earlier..." That's how it actually works in the news business. Other news organizations whether they're print, tv or online will pick up on a story and give it credence even if they don't confirm it right away. Contrary to what the Trump/Fox News bubble believes CNN and MSNBC do this for Fox News all the time.)
9. Is the story a joke? Sometimes false news stories can be hard to distinguish from humor or satire. Check whether the source is known for parody, and whether the story's details and tone suggest it may be just for fun. (If it's from The Onion, it's satirical and not real. Absolutely astonishing how many people share Onion stories on Facebook thinking they're real. Or, they go apeshit over a story, perhaps demanding Obama be jailed or apologize for something only to look fucking stupid when someone points out, "It's a joke. Story isn't real." Of course, rarely is there contrition or an apology. *Smh*)
10. Some stories are intentionally false. Think critically about the stories you read, and only share news that you know to be credible. (Unfortunately, this requires people to be fair, honest, balanced, have an intellectual curiosity and to be rational. I've discovered in the last few years an alarming number of people are none of these things. It cuts across political affiliation, gender, race, religious affiliation and class status. People think truth is subjective and facts are a matter of convenience. If they support their narrative, wonderful; if they don't, fuck 'em. And, that is exactly how many people feel whether they admit it or not. Folks are so myopic and simpleminded they either can't or refuse to think critically and curiously! Don't get sideways with me for saying it neither! I dare you to say I'm wrong. People in the #Resistance won't hear of anything unless it rips Trump and Trumpsters to shreds. They attack people who agree with them because they only agree with them 95%. It's the most asinine thing. But, Trumpsters are just as bad if not worse. Anything from the so-called mainstream media they won't believe even when irrefutable proof backs up the media's account. If there is any story about racism, xenophobia, homophobia or the #MeToo movement they immediately disregard it and call it #FakeNews. It's really pathetic and absurd. It really is.)
It's not difficult to see how Russia interfered with our election and swayed voters. They used our two biggest weaknesses against us. They used our partisanship and our willful ignorance/lack of intellectual curiosity/unwillingness to be informed. Honestly, they didn't have to work that hard. They just planted some false stories, some triggers and some instigation about racial resentment and sat back.
What Russia did speaks more about us than it does them. It's not a very attractive narrative. It's actually quite shameful and disgraceful.
Fake news is employed because IT WORKS! Think about that!
