Real Tips To Fight Fake News

A few weeks ago, news of snow falling in mindanao actively popped up in my facebook news feed. Most of these were via “shares” from friends who commented with a mix of incredulity, awe, and outright heehaw at the attempt of someone to pass along an obviously fabricated (though fairly well produced) news video.

- Mon Guinto

However, there were a few who fell for it, calling it a miraculous quirk of Mother Nature. I couldn’t blame them for believing it: the video looked legitimate, the foreign-sounding reporter sounded credible. And, I am sure somewhere in there was an element of wishful thinking on their part.

Stuff like this is prevalent now more than ever. Social media has become a platform for expression and presentation, giving us all a voice and a means to present and push our various interests, beliefs, and agenda. With its increasing ease in usage, social media allows us to pass along information and content more easily.

With the algorithm of some of these social media apps, it can even recommend articles, news, and other points of interest that I might like based on a number of factors. What it can’t do is filter out information that is unreliable, or worse, totally fake. As the recipient of these items, it is up to us to discern and decide which are worthy of passing on to our friends and the public. Think of these simple reminders, before sharing something you think is fresh, hot, and juicy.

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