How to Detect Fake News
Fake News can be fun and interesting. Some folks enjoy a dose of outrage. But it is not very useful if you are seeking the truth. So how can you tell whether something is "fake news", ie. misinformation, or real information?
Here are some techniques that might help. If you have some suggestions please share them on Discourse.
Use Fact Checkers
A good fact checker can verify or refute something you found on the Internet. But it is important to use a reliable fact checker.
The Snopes.com website has a good reputation. They work hard to check all the details and do not seem to have a strong bias.
The FactCheck.org website is focussed on US politics.
Do they Admit Mistakes?
When a newspaper makes a mistake, they sometime print retractions or corrections. Look for these because it is a good sign that a newspaper cares about the truth.
Was the Testimony Under Oath?
It is sometimes legal to lie if you are not under oath. So if someone refuses to testify under oath, or if their story changes when they are under oath, then they may be lying.
Balancing Bias
Consider the source. Fox News tends to consistently lean way to the right and MSNOW tends to consistently lean way to the left. You may be able to find a more objective source. The NY Times and NPR tend to be more in the middle but probably lean slightly left. So you may need to read reports with conflicting bias and then balance those reports to find the central truth.
It can also help to get a different perspective. If you want to read about, for example, the War in Gaza then you may learn something new by reading Al Jazeera. They are based in Qatar and have an excellent international news team. They also have a strict Code of Ethics.
Lying for Entertainment
Sometimes the truth is not very interesting. A juicy lie might sell more newspapers. So ask yourself whether the report is designed to entertain or to inform.
Shades of Gray
A report is probably not 100% fake or 100% real. You may be able to trust part of a story but not the whole story.
How Many People Think It Is True?
The number of people who believe something is not a reliable sign of the truth. They may have all just read some really interesting article from a popular but biased new source.
Can Science Help Us?
Science is not a set of beliefs. It is not just another religion. Instead, science is a technique for figuring out what is probably true. I say "probably" because science is continually advancing. Things that scientists thought were true in the 1800's were often corrected in the 1900's. By constantly questioning their conclusions and doing experiment to verify their theorems, science can get us very close to the truth.
Science is the foundation for technology. And technology brought us computers and airplanes, which seem to work very well. So scientists must be doing something right.
How Close?
News reports are generally either "primary", "secondary" or "tertiary":
- A primary report is from an eye witness. For example, "I was there and I saw it.".
- A secondary report is from people who talked to eye witnesses. For example, "I talked to several witness and most of them said it happened this way."
- A tertiary report is from someone who read a bunch of primary or secondary reports and created a summary. For example, "I read a bunch or newspapers and articles and here is what I think happened."
There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these types of report. With primary reports, you get unfiltered information and you can judge how reliable that person is. For example, an airplane pilot would be a more reliable witness to a UFO sighting than most people. But an eye witness may not have been in the right place to see what really happened. They might say "I saw no damage" but a witness a block away might say "I saw a building collapse". A tertiary report is very indirect. But the person writing it may be an export who has studied the topic for decades.
Considering whether a report is primary, secondary or tertiary can help you decide whether it can be trusted.