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Fake news is like the living dead of new media. It is unkillable.
Even after Facebook and Google finally agreed to strip away the financial incentive driving the creation of this garbage, it continues to flood our Facebook feeds and thrive in Google search results.
SEE ALSO:It’s time to stop blaming Facebook for fake newsIt's time to face the truth. No, not the fake truth, the realtruth: We can't stop fake news, but maybe, just maybe, we can identify it. Knowledge is power and if we can help people spot fake stories, even those who desperately want this stuff to be true, they'll stop liking and sharing.
Not all fake news is alike, but after spending a few horrible hours on a handful of fake news web sites, I've discovered that there are some markers.
The attributes are, essentially, tools of the fake news trade. They help them sell the stories and fool the public. Typically, if the story has just one of these features, it's at least questionable. Three or more and you're through the looking glass.
Here are go-to signs that the news you’re sharing is probably fake
Insanely hyperbolic headline
Now, to be fair, this is not always a sign of factual fuzziness. But make no mistake a headline that is working overtime to get your attention is one worth questioning, at least a little bit.
Trigger words include:
Epic
Amazing
Incredible
Unbelievable
Any headline that promises your prayers have been answered
News is about telling a story without judgement. It's not about seeing into your soul. A journalist who claims to know your prayers is also, apparently, a mind reader and should not be trusted.
Some of the headline is in ALL CAPS
Trustworthy content doesn't need to shout.
The original article has disappeared
*Nothing to see here.
*Quotes from another place and time
All fake news is not equal or made up. Some of it has quotes that someone really said, at some time, but they have nothing to do with the headline or story in which they've been placed.
If the statement surprises you, copy and paste it into Google. You may find, as I did, that fake news quotes are often cherry picked from old interviews.
Yes, Taylor Swift was jazzed about voting in the presidential election... in 2008!Some of the quotes from a then 18-year-old Swift did happen, although she never said she voted for Trump.
Mis-attributed quotes
Sometimes fake news doesn't even bother with the pretense of fact.
Quotes that don't seem to align with what you know of or have heard about a person are probably notfrom that person. Fake news sites look for the most inflammatory statements and then attribute them to whomever they want.
In this case, they took comments from Medgar Evers' brother, Charles, and pinned them on actor Denzel Washington.
A photo that intentionally makes the story subject look bad
For those in the public eye, it isn't easy to look good all the time.
For those running fake news sites, a celebrity or politician who literally looks bad is fake news gold. It's pretty much guaranteed that the face and moment caught in that image has nothing to do with the hyperbolic headline.
BONUS TIP: It just plain lies
Fake news will promise one thing in the headline or a post on Facebook, but never deliver the goods in the actual story (yes, you actually have to follow the link and read beforeyou like or share). CNN's Wolf Blitzer may look like he's about to burst into tears (with a little Photoshop help, I think), but the article never says he does, nor is there a video of him bawling. This kind of journalism is so bad, now I'm crying.
Other tell-tale signs of fake journalism include:
Stories that end with “Do you agree?” The question you should hear in your head is, "With what?"
Bad grammar
Casual Language: No news reporter will refer to President Donald Trump as "The Donald."
Amateurish-looking Web pages
Sexist, horrifying promoted content: Lots of cleavage is always a red flag.
Simply running any of the stories you see on Facebook, Google, or random Web sites through one or more of these truth filters will help you tell fact from fiction and, possibly, make the world a slightly better place.
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