FAKE NEWS-IS THE MEDIA OR CONSUMERS AT FAULT? (Social Media vs. News Consumers)

The issue with fake news is that consumers are having a difficult time believing the credibility of the news source.

Fake news causes their audience to become misinformed about certain topics or issues.

(Photo from Google Images)

But when it comes to the idea of consuming fake news, where do we point the finger?

SOCIAL MEDIA

According to Liz Fazio, Vanderbilt assistant professor, shared that the most common form of deception of fake news involves recycling old content and  presenting it as recent news on social media.

A recent example of this came across my Facebook newsfeed Yesterday night (03/01/2020). An article about a woman being fatally shot on the South Side of Chicago due to a traffic altercation.

(Screenshot taken off an iPhone XR

by Kianna Goss)

It appeared as the event happened recently in 2020, however, the date of the article was written in 2018.

If the audience on Facebook did not read the date of the article, then one would assume that this event was recent.

Although media platforms are trying to limit the circulation of fake news, there is still a huge amount of fake profiles and content.

The Knight Foundation mentions how during the 2016 election, more than 6.6 million  tweets linking to fake news in the month before the 2016 election.

This article highlights the fake news issue in 2016, but it’s still a common problem due to the Facebook example above.

NEWS CONSUMERS

What is interesting about the example I gave from Facebook is that depending on the news source, news consumers believe the truth of recycled news articles.

Since the article was published by WGN9, a news organization that publishes heavy content on the violence of Chicago, it is easier to believe that the article is real.

But does that stop us from pointing the finger at the consumers themselves?

NO...as news consumers it is very important to read the date of an article before spreading misinformation.

Also, news consumers can be the reason why recycled news continues to circulate because the date of articles is not closely examined or consumers will read old content from news organizations, then will share on their media platforms.

How to avoid this fake news consumption?

1. Read the DATES

2. Check multiple media platforms

3. Media platforms should have more control over fake accounts

4. Don’t fall into the trap of recycling old content

5. Call out unverified information like Lytvyneko