Ways to spot fake news
Consider the source: Look at domain names and be wary of news sites that have strange URL endings such as .com.co that are designed to make it look like a legitimate source that people recognize.
Look for visual clues: Fake news websites may use sloppy design or overuse stylistic choices such as all caps, splashy headlines or misleading photos.
Find other sources: Dig deeper and consult other news sources or fact-checking sites. Go read primary documents when available and look out for overbroad or generalized statements with no attribution.
Weigh biases: Consider what biases a news source might have, including biases outside the political spectrum. For example, is it breaking news or researched in depth? Is it from an independent source or is the source part of a larger company? Is the source local or does it cover a larger geographical area?
Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correct the location of Thursday night’s event. While the event was put on by Longmont Public Library staff, the presentation was at City Council Chambers.
Kent Willmann, an instructor at the University of Colorado’s School of Education, had an overarching message for those looking for tips on discerning fake news from real news: Do your homework.
Willmann started his presentation Thursday night by noting that he was an education instructor, and he doesn’t teach in either the journalism or political science colleges.
“What I try to do with high school teachers and students is help them be better consumers of news and media of all different types,” Willmann said. “I do have some journalism experience. Years ago my first job was as a paperboy.”
The Longmont Library tapped Willmann to present the talk “The Real Story Behind Fake News” as an adult education program. The talk was originally scheduled to be held at the library, but it was moved to the City Council Chambers to accommodate more people.
Willmann emphasized to the audience of about 120 people that fake news is not a new problem, but what is new is that media consumers can now choose to only read or listen to media that validates their viewpoints. This, Willmann theorized, is worsening the polarization of political opinion in the United States.
“It’s not so much the fake news as that we’re sitting on opposite sides of the room yelling at each other,” Willmann said, showing a Gallup poll graph of trust in media by political party over time. “Less than 14 percent of Republicans now say they trust the media, and Democrats are up there at 51 percent. We’re on opposite sides of the room. Do you find that scary?”
Willmann said that fake news is fundamentally profit-driven and ethically questionable. He said fake news relies on clickbait, that is leading headlines, photos or ads to get people to click on a link. For every click, the fake news publisher gains ad revenue.
Willmann cited Buzzfeed News journalist Craig Silverman as an authority on fake news and used an example from Silverman’s interview with National Public Radio’s Fresh Air show.
“Here’s a fake news story. It took a kid in Maryland about 15 minutes to make it and he made $5,000 off of it,” Willmann said.
Throughout the presentation, people called out questions or comments. When Willmann showed a slide as an example of clickbait — the sponsored third-party ads that many websites use to gain revenue — a woman asked whether those types of links are automatic indicators that a site is peddling fake news.
Not necessarily, Willmann said. News readers and consumers need to do their own research and purposefully seek out viewpoints and opinions that differ from their own.
“Eat your vegetables. Use several different kinds of sources, especially the ones you don’t like so much,” Willmann said. “Everything done in the media is done on purpose, so ask, ‘What are they trying to tell me, trying to sell me and how are they doing it?’
“Lastly, say thank you. We could not survive as a democracy without media.”
Willmann touched on Pulitzer Prize-winning projects from the last few years as well as issues such as confirmation bias, the perils of reporting, conglomeration of media, the nature of truth, consumers’ role in the media and how photojournalism and videojournalism can frame a story.
Debra and John Oppenlander, of Longmont, said they came out to the presentation about fake news to learn more about various media sources.
“I just feel like this last election cycle that we went through, there was so much opinion and misinformation,” John Oppenlander said.
“I would call it disinformation — intentional disinformation and lies, also known as alternative facts,” Debra Oppenlander interjected.
Debra Oppenlander said she had hoped to ask Willmann more about confirmation bias and the herd mentality.
Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
