The Fake News Problem

CEBU, Philippines — This year’s celebration of the Cebu Press Freedom Week mainly centered on fake news. The matter has become a problem lately, with the vast popularity and availability of the internet and the social media. Compounding the problem is the sense of anonymity that makes people feel a little less accountable for their online actions.  

Many things shared online, especially in social media, may appear to be true; but often they’re not. Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive. These stories are usually created to either influence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause confusion. These can also be a profitable business for online publishers.

Fake news stories are often shared at websites that mimic the look of trusted, legitimate websites in order to gain the interest and trust of its intended public.  These websites often taken on names and web addresses closely similar to those of reputable news organizations.  That’s how they get people fooled.

Fake news is not new; however, it has become a hot topic this year. The public traditionally get the news from trusted sources, journalists and media outlets that are required to adhere to strict standards. But, in recent times, the internet has enabled a whole new way to publish, share and consume information and news with very little regulation or editorial standards.

Social media sites and networks have now become a major news source. With the ‘noise’ that’s there all the time these days, it has become rather difficult to tell whether stories are credible or not. And since social media is the digital word-of-mouth, stories can spread much faster than people can check out facts.

The website www.webwise.ie notes that information overload and a general lack of understanding by people about how the internet works has also contributed to an increase in fake news or hoax stories. The website adds that social media sites can play a big part in increasing the reach of these types of stories. And yet an educated public can do something to remedy the alarming situation.

While there are differing opinions when it comes to identifying types of fake news, the webwise.ie website says that when it comes to evaluating content online there are various types of fake or misleading news that are just dubious, including:

Clickbait. These are stories that are deliberately fabricated to gain more website visitors and increase advertising revenue for websites. Clickbait stories use sensationalist headlines to grab attention and drive click-throughs to the publisher website, normally at the expense of truth or accuracy.

Propaganda. These are stories that are created to deliberately mislead audiences to promote a biased point of view or particular political cause or agenda.

Satire/Parody. Lots of websites and social media accounts publish fake news stories for entertainment and parody. The common examples would be The Onion, Waterford Whispers, The Daily Mash, etc.

Sloppy Journalism. Sometimes reporters or journalists may publish a story with unreliable information or without checking all of the facts which can mislead audiences. For example, during the U.S. elections, fashion retailer Urban Outfitters published an Election Day Guide, the guide contained incorrect information telling voters that they needed a ‘voter registration card’. This is not required by any state in the U.S. for voting.

Misleading Headings. Stories that are not completely false can be distorted using misleading or sensationalist headlines. These types of news can spread quickly on social media sites, where only headlines and small snippets of the full article are displayed on audience newsfeeds.

Biased/Slanted News. Many people are drawn to news or stories that confirm their own beliefs or biases, and fake news can prey on these biases. Social media news feeds tend to display news and articles that they think people will like based on their personalized searches.

There are ongoing efforts by legitimate news organizations and social media networks dealing with the problem of fake news. Also, there are now fact-checking sites, so people may ascertain the veracity of a story and not just take anything hook-line-and-sinker. The individual internet and social media users themselves can do a lot to help correct the problem – by checking the facts, by not sharing fiction. (FREEMAN)