Fake news has filled the information field so much that in 2017 Collins Dictionary chose it as the word of the year. Fake or fake news is false, often sensational information disseminated under the guise of news reports. A year later, in 2018, scientists at the Social Machines Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that fake news on Twitter reaches the first 1,500 recipients six times faster than the real ones. And the probability of retweeting fake news is higher on 70%. BuzzFeed media conducted its research in collaboration with Ipsos Public Affairs. According to their calculations, the top 20 fake news stories surpassed the 20 most popular articles from real media in terms of likes and reposts. Moreover, 75% American adults are deceived by fake news headlines. The statistics, of course, are disappointing. People tend to believe information in the media and spread it, but the media space is filled with false news. Few check the reliability of sources, especially during periods of high emotional stress in society, be it war, growing social injustice, increased political life, disaster, etc. People are more susceptible to feelings, and fake news is gaining momentum, bright, “clickable” headlines appear that play on our feelings, and finding the truth becomes even more difficult. There is no universal marker showing that some media cannot be trusted. At a meeting with the VIVA Foundation. Doctors and Volunteers – Armenia,” his ambassador, author of Armenian Telegram channels and media Georgy Kevorkov spoke about several criteria for selecting news channels. Let's share his tips and add our own.

Articles must mention sources of information. These may be quotations and/or links. It is desirable that the text be written on the basis of not just a source, but a PRIMARY source, because when they refer to someone else’s retelling, there is a high probability of a “broken phone” effect. Thus, materials on political and military topics should direct readers to official statements of ministries and departments, press releases. If you come across news without links, then in order not to be deceived, you will have to look for the original source yourself. Determine the keywords, look on Google, who wrote it earlier, if there are links there. Finding the original source is labor- and time-consuming. It’s easier and faster to compare the same news from different resources. Comparing the opinions of opposing sides, for example, the political opposition or warring groups, helps to get to the truth and form your own opinion about the situation. It may seem that photos and videos must definitely be reliable. But in reality, old materials are passed off as new or processed for their own needs. You can check whether images and short videos have already appeared online by searching Google, Yandex and TinEye.

It happens that even media outlets with a high level of credibility publish fake news. In this case, it is important what the editors do next: if they post a refutation and apologize, then there is no point in unsubscribing from the channel. But if it continues to work as if nothing had happened, it means that this media does not care about reliability.

Check, and then trust: media and media

Q: Grammatically correct speech

If you prefer to get information from social networks, such as Telegram, make sure that the authors do not use profanity. We also add that their speech, written or oral, must be literate. This will show both the level of education of the writers and the editors’ prioritization of the quality of materials.

Q: Propaganda

Fake news is one of the propaganda tools. Look at whether the media supports someone too actively, whether it calls for something, whether it adheres to neutrality, and in what proportions the opposition and the current government are represented. You can find out who owns the media, what views this person or group of people have. This mainly concerns political news, but it happens that, for example, the media about celebrities is in conflict with someone, and therefore speaks negatively about the person or their competitor.

Q: Critical thinking

Surely you have heard that it is more difficult to deceive someone who has critical thinking, that is, the ability to question information and look at problems from different angles. To develop it, look for information, compare, analyze what is a fact and what is the author’s opinion. Remember that we are all in our own information bubbles. In fact, we surround ourselves and see mainly what corresponds to our picture of the world, ideals and values. But behind this there are other worlds and information hidden, even if you consider it “wrong”. Communicate with people with opinions different from yours, be interested in different areas of knowledge and learn.

Julia Diagileva

11.10.2023

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#Society

When large-scale political events occur, or a major news story simply appears, a huge number of media outlets write about it. And in this case, you can see the words “trust only trusted sources.” But how do you know which media outlet writes the truth and which one spreads fake news? Let's try to figure it out.

Contents

Fake news
Grammatically correct speech
Obvious facts
Emotionality
Information sources
Propaganda
Refutations
Critical thinking
What to read and watch

Fake news

Fake news has filled the information field so much that in 2017 Collins Dictionary chose them as word of the year. Fake or fake news is false, often sensational information disseminated under the guise of news reports.

A year later, in 2018, scientists from the Social Machines Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found outthat fake news on Twitter reaches the first 1,500 recipients six times faster than real news. And the probability of retweeting fake news is higher on 70%. Yours study conducted by BuzzFeed media in collaboration with Ipsos Public Affairs. According to their calculations, the top 20 fake news stories surpassed the 20 most popular articles from real media in terms of likes and reposts. Moreover, 75% American adults are being deceived by fake news headlines.

The statistics are, of course, disappointing. People tend to believe information in the media and spread it, but the media space is filled with false news. Few check the reliability of sources, especially during periods of high emotional stress in society, be it war, growing social injustice, increased political life, disaster, etc. People are more susceptible to feelings, and fake news is gaining momentum, bright, “clickable” headlines appear that play on our feelings, and finding the truth becomes even more difficult.

There is no universal marker that shows that a media outlet cannot be trusted. On meeting with the VIVA Foundation. Doctors and volunteers - Armenia" his ambassador, author of Armenian Telegram channels and media Georgy Kevorkov spoke about several criteria for selecting news channels. Let's share his tips and add our own.

Grammatically correct speech

If you prefer to receive information from social networks, such as Telegram, make sure that the authors do not use profanity. Let us also add that their speech, written or oral, must be literate. This will show both the level of education of the writers and the editors’ prioritization of the quality of materials.

Obvious facts

Some facts are difficult to verify, for example, the content of statements, the course of events. But there is also easily verifiable information. These include names of participants, positions and titles, addresses, titles and dates. If they make mistakes or even come up with something that doesn’t exist, this is checked using search pages, social networks, maps, etc.

Emotionality

No matter how shocking the event you want to know the truth about, reliable text shouldn't be too emotional. Firstly, emotions prevent the author from analyzing information and checking it. Secondly, some media specifically publish flashy, even aggressive headlines to attract an audience, wanting only to benefit, even at the cost of spreading fake news.

Information sources

Articles must sources of information mentioned. These may be quotations and/or links. It is desirable that the text be written on the basis of not just a source, but a PRIMARY source, because when they refer to someone else’s retelling, there is a high probability of a “broken phone” effect. Thus, materials on political and military topics should direct readers to official statements of ministries and departments, press releases.

If you come across news without links, then in order not to be deceived, you will have to look for the original source yourself. Determine the keywords, look on Google, who wrote it before, if there are links there.

Finding the original source is labor- and time-consuming. Easier and faster - compare the same news from different resources. Comparing the opinions of opposing sides, for example, the political opposition or warring groups, helps to get to the truth and form your own opinion about the situation.

It may seem that photos and videos must definitely be reliable. But in reality, old materials are passed off as new or processed for their own needs. You can check whether images and short videos have already appeared online by searching Google, Yandex and TinEye.

Propaganda

Fake news is one of the propaganda tools. See if the media supports someone too actively, calls for something, adheres to neutrality, in what proportions are the opposition and the current government represented. You can find out who owns the media, what views this person or group of people have. This mainly concerns political news, but it happens that, for example, the media about celebrities is in conflict with someone, and therefore speaks negatively about the person or their competitor.

Refutations

It happens that even media with a high credibility publish fake news. In this case, it is important how the editors proceed next: if issues a retraction and apologizes, then you shouldn’t unsubscribe from the channel. But if it continues to work as if nothing had happened, it means that this media does not care about reliability.

Critical thinking

Surely you have heard that it is more difficult to deceive someone who has critical thinking, that is, he is able to question information and consider problems from different angles. To develop it, look for information, compare, analyze what is a fact and what is the author’s opinion. Remember that we are all in our own information bubbles. In fact, we surround ourselves and see mainly what corresponds to our picture of the world, ideals and values. But behind this there are other worlds and information hidden, even if you consider it “wrong”.

Talk to people with different opinions than you, get interested in different areas of knowledge and learn.

What to read and watch

Books and films are devoted to the topic of fake news. Move2Armenia PR Manager Maria Goncharova has prepared a selection, which you will be able to understand the essence of this phenomenon.

1. How to Lie with Statistics, Darrell Huff (1954)