Readers weigh in on fake news
THIS week’s Facebook question for Talk of the Town readers was: With all the news being broadcast on social media, how do you distinguish between what is real and what is fake news?
Reader Justin Collins said he doesn’t “take anything too seriously unless it really stirs my interest [the reality is that a lot of things in the media do not actually affect oneself], and, if so, then I look into the sources of the articles and see if I can find the full transcript of quotes, statements, etc. A helluva lot of journalism, especially now with the internet and social media, are just opinion pieces masquerading as actual reports.”
Ethel Damarell Pullen said to check the source. “If the page looks dodgy, try Snopes. There was a list out a while ago that also helped. If I can’t find anything and I’m suspicious I don’t comment, share or react.”
A shared dialogue opened between three of our followers sparked by Mzukisi Ka-Gwata who said: “I follow various news sources on social media and usually they tend to pick on same stories. If something is only reported by just one source I start to become suspicious”, to which Justin Collins replied, saying: “Unfortunately if a lie is repeated enough then it becomes fact.”
Adele Fivaz Steck added spice to the conversation, saying: “Only because it gets shared continuously by someone who did not check the facts first”.
Steck also said: “Very easy to establish . . . if it sounds too good to be true it normally is. In that case don’t share.”
Angi Bezuidenhout said: “Google it. You normally get immediate hoax publications on the subject . . . always good to vet public information”.
A trend in this day and age has been the way in which everyone with access to social media becomes a reporter all of a sudden. However, Lloyd Stephenson still believes in journalists, saying: “Dunno, but I guess many reporters decide that one should not let the truth stand in the way of a good story”.
Gaz Worrall said: “One should look at the source first to determine if the news agency is real, then if still unsure Google Snopes or FactCheck to find out.”
Bianca Kleynhans commented: “I would do my homework and some investigation on the story to see if it is the truth before placing it in the paper. “Even if I do get the info from a trustworthy source, their source might not have been trustworthy. Rather place a legit story than a fake story to avoid unnecessary conflict”.
Gavin Came said: “If you want to stop fake news don’t forward anything you don’t believe, read the article.” In response Darryl Kukard said, “And that’s going to stop fake news. Easy peasy. Shoo never thought of that . . .”
At the end of the day, fact checking is as basic as Sheilagh Scott suggests: “Read the article, not just the headline on the meme, check the source of the article . . . often they actually say in BOLD letters “satirical” “Stop being a sheep, posting and sharing without checking!”
Jaco Van Rensburg said: “Well we can’t even trust the big names like CNN anymore .. . or our own SABC, the world is a scary place now.”
Johan Magwaca had a dire prediction, saying that one day all governments would control the news, propaganda machines akin to George Orwell’s 1984.