Our communications department wants to share with you some best-practice tips on how to avoid being tricked by, and inadvertently spreading, fake news.
The best way to fight disinformation is to avoid recirculating it. Inform others if you see them posting inaccurate information. You should also report false information to the social channel on which it’s posted. Typically, this is done by clicking the drop-down menu on the upper right corner of the post. Here are more tips to help you.
Validate Authenticity: Is the article from a news site you know or one you’ve never heard of before? Does it have an About Us page? Does it have a mailing address at the bottom? Does it have a Wikipedia page? Is it linked other pages that don’t have sources or lack other credible identifiers? Is the account of the posting individual new on the social platform? Do they have few followers? These are some markers you want to look for.
If you see an image claiming to be proof of voter fraud, run a reverse image search on Google. Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon and upload the photo.
Check the Language and Usage: Is the post riddled with typos? Does that language seem unnatural or awkward? Are there obvious errors in language usage and grammar? Are exclamation points used excessively? These are common signs of fake information.
Practice Emotional Skepticism: If information immediately makes you angry or want to instantly share it with someone, recognize that you’re having a visceral (emotional) response – and that’s just what fake news is designed to do. Emotional responses stop your rational brain from working. If you have an emotional reaction, just slow down and don’t do anything. Look at the information again and try to verify its accuracy before hitting “send.”
Check with Experts: Consult fact-checking websites such as Snopes or Politifact, or the “Rumor Control” webpage of US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which pre-bunks areas of potential disinformation.
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