Ah, the good old days when you could read a newspaper or watch the news on tv to find out what was going on in the world. you didn’t have to question what was reported. But things aren't so easy now. With online news and social media being very popular sometimes we don’t know if the news we read is true or not. That article you may have just read about McDonalds making McNuggets from pink goo might not be the real deal. Fake news can change history usually for the worst and can really negatively affect future generations. We make important decisions based on information. We form an idea about people or a situation by obtaining information. So if the information we saw on the Web is invented, false, exaggerated or distorted, we won’t make good decisions.
Here are some ways you can find out if the news you see is fake. Consider the source Check the domain name of the site the story is coming from. If the web site address is a slight variation of a real news organization, this is typically a red flag. Who’s behind the About Us? You should be able to learn more about the news agency (including their address and staff list) by reading the About Us section of their website. Legitimate sites will give you complete contact information. Double check the information Search the title of the article and you should be able to find more information about the writer. If the information you find doesn’t match what it says on the news site, you’ve likely stumbled onto a nice piece of click bait/fake news. Use common sense If it looks crazy and has a really weird source it probably is fake. But you can always search up the article in google to double check. But things are getting better introducing independent fact checkers. Fact checkers job is to verify factual information, in order to promote the veracity and correctness of reporting. With these fact checkers showing up to help decipher real from fake news we can rest easy knowing that once it is fact checked it is the real deal. Here is a quiz to see if you can decipher fake news from real news. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/fake-news-quiz-nov-18 Callum A
17 Comments
Riley
12/15/2020 12:46:01 pm
Callum this is a big eye opener of a blog! I agree that some things we search on the internet appear to be true but in reality the sources it comes from can be a bit sketch. I took the quiz and it was very difficult do differentiate between what was real and what was fake because some of the stories I believed to be fake were actually true! Thank you for sharing this is great information to know especially for our generation we believe anything posted out there!
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Caiti
12/15/2020 02:26:25 pm
I absolutely agree with you, another tip I have, which I got from my psychology textbook is not to trust big round numbers, like when people say we only use 10% of our brains. I think this also ties in with online activism, which is something I take part in frequently. Before reposting things on my story I always have to remind myself to do my own research on the situation.
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amelie g
12/15/2020 02:36:54 pm
i have never really thought that there could be that many ways of knowing if the news is fake or real. whenever i bring up some story i saw online to my fam, they always say its not true or either they ask where i read it from. and for me i never really knew if there was a way to know the difference. i personally think when it comes to reading news its important to keep yourself updated, but not fall for some stupid fake news that pops up on our phones. i'm not very interested about politics and daily news because at the dinner table its my father that rants about things he wishes that could change when we has no power to make a difference. don't get me wrong its important to know about it, but it just gets tiring after a while especially when i have other things to focus on.
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Taylor
12/15/2020 03:09:19 pm
I think this is a really important topic especially because social media has become so popular in the past few years. Some readers believe everything they see and it can lead to many issues. A lot of readers find it hard trying to figure out if something is real of not. What you've written in your blog is great because it gives those readers ideas on how to figure it out.
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Avery
12/15/2020 04:07:48 pm
I found your blog to be super interesting and resourceful. Personally, I find myself on social media a lot and while I always look for more than one news source to confirm what I've read. Its not uncommon that I find crazy stories being shared like wildfire without any proof/source. I liked how you added ways to weave out fake news and the quiz and the end is a good idea!
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Madison Sproule
12/15/2020 06:29:49 pm
I never had thought to consider reading into the source of the news as I would never usually take anything seriously on the internet but that is a very good point. Especially with many social media platforms, such as tiktok and snapchat, reading or hearing real information on there can be hard to come by as those sources are very uncredible. I definitely agree with your statement that "fake news...can really negatively affect future generations." and how we can easily form an
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Devon
12/15/2020 09:00:50 pm
Thank you for sharing Callum! I find that it is very easy to believe news articles at first glance and it is very important to reflect on what you are reading and ask yourself questions to confirm its accuracy. I have found that recently I have to be very careful when gaining information on covid as many resources are inaccurate or not the most current information. I have found cross-referencing to be also super helpful when I am trying to confirm facts.
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Jenna
12/16/2020 11:29:09 am
It feels like the media is trying to entertain us with these times where we can’t entertain ourselves. There has been a lot of fake news lately to the point where some people question news about the pandemic and vaccines. I really liked the sources you gave to fact check yourself, and I didn’t know fact checking was a profession. Thanks for sharing!
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Brianna
12/16/2020 12:59:17 pm
There’s definitely many instances where I’ve seen a headline for an article and been completely unsure wether or not the article was true. Being aware of the possibility of it being fake is totally important so false information doesn’t get spread further. :)
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Abbey
12/16/2020 01:17:45 pm
Hey Callum! Fact checking and knowing that you are getting factual information is super important, especially during a global pandemic. There is so much misinformation going around right now that it's crucial to know the source is valid before spreading it. I really liked how you included a bunch of ways to check if your source is accurate, and that fact checking is becoming more common. I thought this was well written and very informative! Thank you for sharing.
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Cole
12/16/2020 01:37:26 pm
I totally agree that information cannot be taken for gospel when it is found online. I feel like it is swayed to us based on what we want to hear and because of algorithms. It can also cause very heated arguments within people just because stuff has been misinformed to them. Fact checking is something that should be required before being allowed to post and people should be forming their own opinion after doing their own research and fact checking.
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Lucy Greene
12/16/2020 01:37:37 pm
Haha I can confirm that the chicken nuggets aren't made of pink goo. There is a lot of fake news out there and as students I think its really important to notice that. Because we are always told not to use wiki and use trusted sites. But sometimes we don't always know when it isn't a trusted site so your blog and tips are super helpful.
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Brianna
12/16/2020 01:39:02 pm
I have definitely seen headlines for an article that seemed like it might not be completely true so I think it is good to do your own research so that you can make knowledgeable opinions on whether its fake or not.
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Emily
12/16/2020 01:45:37 pm
That’s so true , this definitely made me realize not to trust what is put out there on the internet. The internet is so bias and it’s so hard to see what is true and what is false .. especially when I use wiki. The internet definitely shapes what you want to see even if it’s fake and made up. This is so eye opening and made me begin to rlly make sure everything I read is true
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Kaya
12/16/2020 01:59:22 pm
I am not really one to believe everything online. Especially if it seems really unlikely or if its really far fetched. When the information comes across as that, I tend to stay away or ignore those types of websites. But after reading your blog, I never really thought to consider reading into the source of the news. As your blog pointed out, there are many warning signs to see if the website you are on is fake or not. Nowadays, fake news is all around social media. So it's hard to know what is real and not. I think your blog had made a really good perspective of what we should believe online.
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Alexa
1/3/2021 03:05:03 pm
This is a good lesson, because it is true that lots of news we read and heard from aren't true and can have negative impacts.
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Gurleen Sura
9/28/2023 01:55:41 pm
Thank you for sharing! I think in todays world this is very true especially with apps like tiktok where spreading fake information is getting really easy. i have seen so many videos of fake news being spread and people in the comments agreeing to it. I think checking sources and doing your research is very important.
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