How to Deal with Fake News

What is Fake News

Its definition is unclear and can vary based on whom you ask and it is used in an increasingly politicized ways across much of the world. Though its rise in notoriety is mainly a result of its prevalence in different social media platforms, it now has widespread significance for politics, journalism, and how people everywhere share information online.

Fake News is often from malicious clickbait sites whose intention is to circulate viral stories that generate large numbers of click-throughs to sell advertising. These sites generally appear as if it's mainstream news outlets, utilizing the same templates to simulate the appearance of major news sources.

The terminology Fake News was originally used to refer to stories that were wholly concocted, mainly for the purposes of deceiving Facebook's algorithm to reach a larger online audience. By using sensational headlines formed from popular current affairs and hot-button issues, these sites receive a lot of traffic and therefore generate high advertising revenues. with fake news sites, the money is made on the back of duplicity, clickbait and plagiarism.

These sites are also often expressly devised to delude and generate high volumes of traffic to spread misinformation and serve a purpose for specific groups with different agendas. Much of the Fake News that filled Social Media during the course of last year’s halalan season consisted of written pieces promoting false information or perpetuating propaganda with the purpose of distorting the truth for emotional persuasion or seeking to drive action.

In its purest form, Fake News is completely made up, manipulated to resemble credible journalism and attract maximum attention and, with it, advertising revenue or distorted public sentiment.

Its Impact
Misinformation can be challenging to rectify and may have lasting ramifications even after it is corrected. The result of all this misinformation isn’t merely ignorance. It can also incite grave consequences.

Fatimah Joy Almarez, Assistant Professor of the Mindanao State University and a resident of Iligan City shares her thought on the impact of Fake News in relation to the Marawi Siege. “Fake news is another form of terrorism. It adds fuel to an already volatile situation, feeding anxieties, and causing both panic and paralysis. I have friends who say they're too scared to go to crowded places, and just go home straight after work. There was an incident one afternoon when a close friend heard that a terrorist was on the loose and when he saw people running, he also ran, straight to his boarding house to bathe, pack up and go back to his hometown.”

She laments that “Now, our conversations are mostly about bomb threats and other attacks supposedly planned by the Maute group. Memos and screenshots of warnings are uploaded to convince everyone to be more vigilant, as if we need some more convincing”. She adds “a Maranao friend told me they share these reports of threats because before, they used to get like warnings, and just ignored them. And see where that got them”.

“I can't count the number of warnings I've received through private messaging and sms. I waited for bombs to explode last June 12, and ended up thanking God for the peace and quiet which pervaded my part of the city. A couple of times, I've been told that Maute supporters have been found near our place. Again, I wonder what on Earth I'm supposed to do with these news. I have come to a point when I've decided not to surrender my freedom to terror, so I'm trying to reclaim my life. I go where I need to go. I go out with friends. I've started walking home again. True, I do these things before 8.30 pm, in deference to the 9 pm curfew imposed within the city, but I still feel better now that I am winning over the bottomline of all these things: terrorism.”

The impact of fake news for the public is quite serious. This has a devastating consequence on people’s freedom to gain access to reliable information so that they can make informed decisions which affect their lives.

Moreover, the danger is that the decimation of fake news impacts the way that we appreciate and respond to actual news, both consciously or not. If being used as propaganda, often those spreading Fake News don’t care whether the readers really believe the specific thing they are spreading. They don’t have to get you to actually believe what you are reading. They just have to get you confused enough for your ability to distinguish the truth waivers, which is still deception. Faced with so much contradicting information, many people are prone to think that everything is biased, everything conflicts, that there is no way to get credible information. When the audience is conditioned to doubt everything they see in the news, it may lead to devaluation and destabilization of society’s system for information.

How it Spreads
Thousands of people share fake news, from the well meaning netizen to the deliberate ones. This is how Fake News is typically spread. Perhaps this is due to the riveting headlines in our feeds that makes it easier for us to share content rather than evaluate or even read it. Moreover, when people see an article shared by someone they know or trust, regardless if it is from unknown media source, people tend to have much more trust in the information than people who see the same article from a reputable media source shared by a person they do not know.

One more contributing factor, is confirmatory bias. People tend to easily accept information that conform with their beliefs and cast aside information that does not.

At the end of the day, we all should have a better understanding about Fake News. The root cause of this growth widely and rapidly is a lack of understanding. The public is unable to identify what their sharing is Fake News.

Spotting Fake News
Rocco Baldassarre, CEO of Zebra Advertisement specializing in Search Engine and Social Media Marketing Campaigns says "look at the url that hosts news to find out whether the source is reliable.” Fake News sites often try to deceive people by using a URL similar to that of an established news site. Check for suffixes or unexpected numbers or letters. Many fake news sites mimic authentic news sources by making minor changes to the URL.

Checkout the headlines. False news stories usually have overtly sensational headlines. If shocking claims in the headline sound inconceivable, they probably are.

Look into the sources and citations that the article provides. Ensure that the article is written by a source that you trust with a reputation for truthfulness. Authentic news stories will quote interviews, provide figures, and backup their claims with facts.

Fake news stories often use manipulated images or videos. Sometimes the photo may be authentic, but taken out of context. You can search for the photo or image to verify where it came from by right-clicking on the image and you will have the option to search Google for it.

Watch for odd formatting. Check for misspellings or awkward layouts. Read carefully if you see these signs. Look for signs of low quality, such as words in all caps, headlines with grammatical errors. Poor design often means the news site is not legitimate. Reputable sources have high proofreading and grammatical standards.

A number of Fake News sites state that they are fake or satirical. However, this information may be hidden in the fine print at the end 0of an article. Check whether the source is known for parody, and whether the story’s details and tone suggest it may be just for fun.

Look at other reports from established sites. If no other news source is reporting the same story, it may mean that the story is false.

Check a site's “Contact Us” and "About Us" section. Find out who are associated with it. If this information is not available and if the site requires that you register before you can learn anything about its, you have to wonder why they aren't being transparent. Read the “About Us” section for more understanding into the publisher, leadership, and mission statement.Genuine news website should provide a method for readers to reach out with questions or concerns. If a website does not have a “Contact Us” page, and no way to reach the author, the site is likely a fake.

Many people are unable to distinguish real news from Fake News, and those with vested interests are taking advantage of the situation. The creation and spread of Fake News and hoaxes on the Internet is money-oriented, politically-motivated or linked to other hidden agendas. We should all remember that news is not there to tell us what to believe. News exists to inform us. Though, journalists should have an obligation to uphold standards, readers and consumers have a responsibility as well. We're supposed to think critically when we get our news; not always putting the blame on fake news stories for misinforming us. We must take initiative in combating the spread of misinformation and have a proactive role in curbing the spread of this Fake News phenomenon that misleads and manipulate public opinion.

How To Talk Politics

The Philippine political landscape has been extremely divisive in the last few months. The current administration has divided the country into opposing sides and this binary debate has trickled down to every crevice of our society up to the most basic unit, that being families. It has resulted to friends disassociating from each other, work relations being affected and strained family ties. All due to the very diametrical stance on politics
for Filipinos today.

Moreover, due to the rise of social media; what used to be the prevailing viewpoint being a very liberal democratic approach and humanist worldview in which the liberal thinkers, the catholic church, the intellectual class and mass media having monopoly of the discourse, has drastically changed. This is due to the emergence of digital technologies, allowing anyone who has access to be able to have a platform to express their own political view and critique and articulate their own perspectives.

With the rise of these platforms where everyone’s voices can be heard, the aggressiveness in the manner in which we communicate with each other to those with dissenting opinions have become acerbic, from trolling to death threats, the discourse in which we communicate with each other has turned for the worse. One can argue that this vigorous support, fanatical devotion or stance in politics suggest that such support is a product of constant anxiety. This gains currency from the vocabulary of crisis, fear and danger, and is strengthened by enactments of democratic agency among citizens who have been in the margins of politics for a long time. Anxiety constricts the space of political discourse by invoking tough language for us to express our frustrations, anger and aspirations.

Due to this, a need arises for us to reflect on how we communicate with each other in terms of discussing our political views. The simplest approach to stay civil is to simply refrain from any discussion on politics.

But shouldn’t reasonably sensible adults be able to discuss politics without the conversation turning acrimonious?

Politics, it seems, is a common topic among filipinos now more than ever, and one wonders how should one deal with such contentious topic in an increasingly volatile political atmosphere.

How to Engage
Find a common ground

Identify the nuances of each other’s positions. Listen to people with openness. If the person concurs with something you oppose, that doesn’t mean you should discount what they are saying, what you can do instead is find a common ground. You can make room for one another to see things in a different perspective, and you may find commonalities. You may both share the same positive thoughts on certain actions or on the inappropriateness of certain behaviors practiced by the administration or the opposition. Be open to discovering those points of connection and keep an open mind. Far better as you listen to an opposing perspective to look for something you can agree with.The greater expression of agreement, the more the dialogue will feel productive.

It may be that while you clash on certain points, you can agree on a larger more valuable position. You may have common hopes and aspirations in terms of key policies which can steer the country to a much faster road to progress for all. Almost all disagreements are due to diverging views on strategy and not purpose, so looking for areas where you are both aligned can make for a more enriching point of discussion. Finds areas of consensus rather than contention. Look for a more substantial principle governing differing opinions and you’ll most certainly find a mutual justification behind your convictions.


Take it as an opportunity to Learn from one another and not to Persuade

Approach political conversations as an opportunity to learn from others and not to change minds, push your own perspectives or to judge another’s choice. Plainly being eager to learn about another’s position is sufficient motivation to engage in a political discussion. However, if your intention is of converting the other person you’ll be inclined to become Machiavellic or coercive. Consider what you have to gain through understanding what’s most important to the other person. Think about how you’ll benefit from learning the reasons behind an alternative viewpoint.

Trying to sway the other person’s political leanings is often an act of futility. Consider what is your predisposition in stepping into political conversations. Is it with the intent to understand—or to persuade? Now’s the moment to frame a course on the basis of mutual exchange. Set a higher intention when conversing and let it serve as your compass as the discussion takes place.

Gaining real understanding of another person’s position doesn’t mean you have to agree or alter your own stance. Healthy political discussions are based on respect, even when you don’t agree. Respect the other person’s views in the same manner you’d like them to respect yours.You may find greater appreciation on how to respectfully disagree. Think about the benefit you gain through learning to encourage understanding—instead of eroding it—through opposition. Such a skill is, nowadays, becoming a lost art.

When to Disengage
A pattern that can be observed within political discussions, is the reluctance to allow the others to express their side. As soon as someone expresses a view that differs from their own, they shut off, over talk or attack the personality of another so alternative viewpoints cannot be heard.

It may be very tempting to expose the inaccuracies of the other party. But it’s seriously narrow-minded. Someone who is unsure of the validity of his argument or is failing to sustain an intelligent debate will be tempted to resort to inflammatory language and insults. Such language only engender rancor and will quickly steer the discussion into a pointless exercise. Derogatory labeling similarly does not add any value to the conversation and does not put forward engagement e.g. Yellowtards or Dutertards.

When emotions are running high, conflicting views over politics can deteriorate the discussion. Before that occurs, the best route is to agree to disagree or simply disengage and not press your point no matter how correct you believe your opinion to be. If you demean another person, it’s very hard to converse with them. The point of discussions is not to coerce, but to understand. It’s possible for people to have opposing viewpoints without resorting to derogatory comments. Present your points in a composed, well-reasoned manner. The ability to tolerate and learn from differences is essential to a healthy discourse.

A lot of controversial issues are contentious because there is no easy answer. Provided all the available evidences and facts, intelligent, reasonable people can come to radically different interpretations on issues like the war on drugs, death penalty, human rights abuses, etc.

Unless someone is vociferously advocating bigotry, intolerance or violence, take the highroad and disengage. When there are clear indications that the conversation is becoming one-sided or is about to escalate, be the bigger person and walk away.

Civility is Key
Civility speaks of our ability to disagree while simultaneously uplifting one another. Through civility we refine the art of engaging with others. As there are no absolute truths that can hold us together, it is only our fervent bid to civilized discourse that allows us to preserve the sacred space that makes conversing, most especially in terms of politics, possible. Everytime we forgo the proper way of talking to each other in regards to how we express our views, an inch of our democratic space dies.

The false binary of pro or anti administration does not lend any analytical coherence to these positions for they are far more nuanced, complex and continually negotiated.

Now is a very good time to open up ourselves up to be heard and to hear the views of one another to have better understanding. More than sharp critique, what would greatly benefit our public sphere is a more nuanced weighing of the various issues in regards to politics.