How To Avoid The Fake News Trap

Deposit Photos. Used with permission.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS

We have thoroughly covered journalism ethics.

We have thoroughly covered primary sources, credibility, attribution, and verification.

We have thoroughly covered copyright, fair use, and plagiarism.

We have covered documenting from the perspective of our roles in history, especially toward our families, community, and the world overall.

As sons of God carrying a prophetic voice and mandate, we have a burden for truth. That truth, however, begins with backing up everything released as citizen journalists, family historians, church historians, curators of local history, etc., gives people the opportunity to "obtain the verified information" and draw conclusions for themselves. We are literally following bread crumbs, just like firefighters, investigators of missing people and those on archaeologic research teams do when looking for AUTHENTIC facts to break their case.

Our contributions are important to an informed society.

If you are working on a project or contemplating starting one, then you have the opportunity to look at your own ethical and moral code surrounding documentation. The question that guides that is this: Are my motives pure? This is the test for all of us. The idea for creating this course, for example, came from discussions inside the Scribal Prophets group surrounding COVID-19 in the United States. The original goal was to teach people how to properly document their lives and the lives of their loved ones. I decided to expand it for two reasons: (1) Misinformation exists because people either don't know how or are not interested in vetting information; and (2) instead of complaining about history is written, every person must understand their role in creating it - especially those on the fringes of society without a voice.

DEFINING FAKE NEWS & COMING AGAINST IT

According to Lazer et al," "Fake news is fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent. Fake-news outlets, in turn, lack the news media's editorial norms and processes for ensuring the accuracy and credibility of information. Fake news overlaps with other information disorders, such as misinformation (false or misleading information) and disinformation (false information that is purposely spread to deceive people)." [David M. J. Lazer, et al., "The Science of Fake News," Science 09 Mar 2018: Vol. 359, Issue 6380, pp. 1094-1096.]

Fake news has some identifiable characteristics that may or may not be easy to identify:

There are no primary sources.

Agencies or state names are not properly identified, and physical or email addresses are omitted.

Photos and images lack attribution.

Domain names and web addresses look suspicious. When you click them they take you completely different websites without warnings, or there are excessive popups and advertisements about random, non-relevant information.

Fake organizational names are used. Can't be traced.

Fack author names or no author names are used.

Dates are often wrong as it regards publication.

Tremendous grammatical errors (Credible agencies treat their content like gold.)

Improper media formats, styles. (It helps to know what REAL documentation looks like)

Interviews and direct quotes are omitted.

Legal documentation, references are omitted.

Statements in the story cannot be proven as they are written.

Partial video clips are common practice with no use of video in complete context.

Extreme exaggeration of facts.

Lacks history, archival systems of past documents Any kind of leaked, unverified information

While this list is extensive, it still doesn't cover all the ways of identifying fake news. However, knowing WHAT MAKES CREDIBLE DOCUMENTATION is the key to standing against it.

Fake news can't be fake if we can present the facts as they are -- allowing people to make sense of what they see. For example, in my sister's documentation concerning her COVID-19 experiences as a nurse... her own words tell her story. A question is asked, and she answers that question. Her nurse's badge, certifications, bank deposit slips, etc. bearing her name verifies her employment status "during" the COVID-19 crisis. The photographs of her standing with other staff members verify her role. In years to come if someone says, "She wasn't a nurse that was a Halloween costume," we can PROVE that she was. The only thing fake news can do is make accusations but there is no evidence that can be brought forth to support the "Halloween" statement.

This entire example is WHY the focus has to be on documentation for verifiable sources.

Again, knowing where credible information is found, how it is gathered and verified is the best way to come against"fake news" - especially in the age of social media. So many celebrities have divorced, died, and been in fights on social media thanks to fake news, but were still alive in real life! Yet so many people believed those stories.

It's time for a change. And we have the power to come against this within our own measure in Jesus' Name.

Where does fake news come from?

How to spot fake news How to combat fake news How to identify fake news in 10 steps