Fake News: What Do You Do When You See It?
Here’s What Happened When I Fact-Checked A Friend
Those of us who use social media need to power up our BS detectors and turn them up to 11, especially with the U.S. general election now less than two months away.
An internet search on “how to combat fake news” or “fighting disinformation” brings up no shortage of recommendations from news agencies and think tanks. One of the more expansive ideas comes from the Brookings Institute. In December 2017, the organization posted on its website a proposal that the government, journalists, businesses, consumers, tech companies, and educators all work together to weed out false information, rebuild trust in the news agencies, and arm consumers with the tools to spot fake news. It seems like a very solid idea to me.
But is there a will to get anything done?
We have been debating fake news since the 2016 election, and yet it is still out there in full force. I have seen people duke it out (virtually, of course) on the internet, with spreaders of fake news never budging, no matter what facts are presented. The opposing sources, they believe, are the liars. How do you educate someone about trustworthy news sources when they distrust you for saying their preferred sources are untrustworthy?