What Exactly Is Fake News?
When looking into the old but new trending topic of what’s known as fake news, We really have to dig deep down and discover what the root and purpose is. So when you look at the definition, here is what you will find according to webopedia. They define this as, “Fake news, or hoax news, refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic news.” This has been quite the topic of 2016 and 2017. We all tend to wonder what or why this ‘epidemic’ has become so popular. To me it’s gained its popularity simply because it gets people to believe or conform to things they might not typically agree with. Fake news is something that will strike in the most important times and events. And I believe that it is our job as people and a society to not only work to avoiding this fake news, but also to help and educate students at an entry level in school to help and stop the unnecessary spread of this bad or inaccurate news. It’s made a huge impact on the United States. And this spread of misguided or false news has become so effective that people today will simply find or possess a belief and then wait and or ponder for an article they can grab onto so that they can confirm this belief without knowing the accuracy. Fake news is typically dressed up as real but most typically it’s fabricated to look real.
Real World Examples
Next we focus on some of the real world examples of fake news. And i’m sure we could spend a week on the different examples. But let’s narrow it down to a few. For example we could start with the most recent 2016 presidential election. This election was really where the mass amounts of fake news were produced. This idea of fake news has been around for quite sometime, however I believe it really began to escalate in the most recent presidential election. We see this type of news displayed on both side from Fox News to MSNBC. In one of my sources, titled “Ignorance Is Bliss,” the author mentions something called the “illusory truth effect.” And according to Kennedy, this effect is “that repeated exposure to false information can change people’s beliefs that (it is) true. Another real world example of this would be the education system. Fake news has made it tough for students to really distinguish what’s accurate from what’s inaccurate. In another article titled, “Where do students learn about fake news? They learn in freshman composition classes. This is something that modern day teachers have been charged with educating at an entry level to help avoid the spread and confusion of fake news.
Why or How it’s a Problem
Next, when looking into why or how this is a problem when it comes to DACC students doing research. We begin to see students in most classes aren’t typically excited about most topics or they already have their mind made up (I myself am this way). So when we find ourselves in this corner you can call it, we are challenged with doing our best to educate ourselves and our readers. Some of the main reasons as to why fake news is a problem is because people no longer believe what others tell them, people start to question where they get their news from, and they ultimately find themselves sharing and finding fake news fabricated to look real. And the how it’s a problem is simply, that if people don’t really do research and just continue to believe and share this fake news then the real news never has a chance to get its shoes on because the fake news is spreading so fast. According to my next article, the author suggest that they can look at the government themselves. So if people are looking for someone to blame. And what I took away from this article is that we as people are responsible for taking control of our thinking and to ultimately think critically.And it honest really all boils down to our thinking and the way in which we process information. In another one of my sources, titled “The truth about fake news”. They state that “fake news has become so effective that CNN and the New York TImes have fact checked statements or rumors in past months.” This just adds to why and how this is such a problem. This continues to be a problem for society because we are now conditioned to believe we don’t need to think critically because everything we see and read are “true.” So if we never have to think critically then these sources know that nobody will catch onto their tricks and trades. So it’s a huge win for these fake news sources.
How to Avoid This
When looking at how to best avoid fake news. There are many articles and tips out there that you will or may find. In one of my sources, titled “Avoiding the Fake News Trap”, The author, Janice Schachter, mentions an acronym she uses. It is “I’m vain.”
- I: Independent sources are better than self-interested sources
- M:Multiple sources are better than single sources
- V:Sources who Verify with evidence are better than sources who assert.
- A/I: Authoritative / Informed sources are better than uninformed sources.
- N: Named sources are better than unnamed sources.
And I feel as if this is a perfect acronym, simply because it’s easy to remember and really hits on all the main points of avoiding this type of news. In an article from the Columbia college, titled “Avoid Fake News In 3 Easy Steps.” They suggest 3 simple steps to avoid this fake news. So here is how to best avoid fake news.
Greetings,My name is Andrew Metheney. I’m a 2016 graduate of Georgetown-Ridge Farm High School, I am attending Danville Area Community College and will be graduating this December with my Associates in Criminal Justice. My blog post is on the topic of How to avoid fake news.
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