Beware fake news; it might just hijack your vote

DRespondents were asked about three specific false statements — two negative about Clinton and one positive about Trump — that were disseminated primarily through social media and some broadcast news outlets, not reported by major networks or newspapers.

After accounting for other influences, the researchers found 89 percent of those who didn’t believe any of the three statements supported Clinton, while just 17 percent of those who believed two or all three of the statements stayed with Clinton. Given close results in battleground states, that kind of impact could have contributed to Clinton’s loss in Electoral College results, the researchers conclude. Here’s what we conclude: • Actual fake news comes from fake sources with agendas. Newspapers like this one follow high journalistic standards for pursuing objective, verifiable facts. And if mistakes are made by legitimate news outlets, they are quickly corrected.

• Relying on and sharing fake news is a dangerous practice, especially if it makes a difference in how voters decide between candidates.

• Being unable to distinguish legitimate journalism from fake news is even more dangerous. If you can’t tell how a story was sourced and verified, it’s probably not true.

• Purveyors of fake news are quick to accuse others of the practice.

We know how Trump determines what news is fake. As his own recent tweet explains, negative equals fake. He’s wrong, of course. Being negative or positive has nothing to do with being fake.

Timing of the OSU report is perfect. Primary elections are over and campaigns are gearing up for November. Don’t let your general election vote get hijacked by fake news.