When Alice scrolls through her social media feed, she’s stopped in her tracks by the news that her company is about to be bought out by its biggest rival. She quickly posts a response, shares the story with her contacts, and emails it to her team so that they can discuss it later.
But then Alice has a troubling thought. What if the story wasn’t true? What if she just shared a “fake news” story? After all, she didn’t check the source.
If she has been a victim of fake news, and then added to the rumor mill herself, how will people ever trust her again?
Fortunately, there’s lots you can do to avoid making the same mistake as Alice. In this article and video, we explore how you can separate fake news from the truth.
What Is Fake News?
There are two kinds of fake news:
- Stories that aren’t true. These are entirely invented stories designed to make people believe something false, to buy a certain product, or to visit a certain website.
- Stories that have some truth, but aren’t 100 percent accurate. For example, a journalist quotes only part of what a politician says, giving a false impression of their meaning. Again, this can be deliberate, to convince readers of a certain viewpoint, or it can be the result of an innocent mistake. Either way, it quickly attracts an audience and can become entrenched as an “urban myth.”
