Raaya Cummings
raaya.cummings@gmail.com
Whether from the mouths of friends, politicians or even news reporters themselves, you have more than likely heard the term "fake news". However, despite its spotlight within recent years, fake news (less controversially referred to as "false information") is nothing new and has been an increasing issue for journalists as the use of social media rises.
Fake news includes "information that is fabricated, with non verifiable facts, sources or quotes." This may or may not be intentional. In the world of journalism, timing can make or break a story. With this pressure journalists often feel, or actually are, pushed to release stories before the information has been properly fact-checked. Then before you know it, this information has been shared to thousands of people within minutes. While this unintentional mistake could lead to a bad outcome, many stories call for the most up-to-date truth, which has the potential of being wrong in the end. When misinformation is done intentionally, it is typically in order to make money (clickbait), entertain (satire), or influence political beliefs and policy makers. Despite the reasoning behind its application, the result of fake news can be extremely harmful.
Studies such as Stanford's Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning have shown that the majority of people are not capable of differentiating what information is real or fake. As a result, they are at risk of believing the fake information that is being shared. This can be especially harmful when the information is dealing with important topics such as health or public emergencies and carries the potential to push people toward making dangerous decisions.
A more recent study done by Pew Research Center found that even the fear of fake news has its drawbacks. Since 2017, the term has increasingly been weaponized within the political world in order to turn the public against news organizations. As a result, many consumers have resorted to decreasing or eliminating the amount of information they consume. While they might believe this is the best way to combat false information it actually interferes with their ability to acquire true information.
As we navigate through the digital world it is inevitable that we come into contact with false information multiple times throughout the day. While there is nothing we as consumers can do to stop it, it is important that we protect ourselves and the people around us by becoming news and information literate.
News and information literacy is "a set of abilities requiring individuals to 'recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." These skills enable a consumer to efficiently determine whether or not the information and its sources are reliable. When navigating the digital world it is important to consistently ask yourself a handful of questions before believing or sharing whatever it is you are reading, such as: Who is providing the information? Do they have a reputation of being credible? Did they provide the source of their information? Can their sources be trusted? If so, why?
No comments:
Post a Comment