SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
It’s time for a refresher on how to spot fake news
Oct 19, 2017, 2:31 PM
A fake news story is positioned near ads from major global corporations on The Red Elephants website. Experts say it’s not so easy for brands to make sure they don’t end up on websites that publish false stories. (The Red Elephants via AP)
(The Red Elephants via AP)
Despite what you might think, I don’t call myself a news reporter or even a news anchor. I’m in the opinion business. The give my opinion about the news, but in my career I’ve also riffed on sports, pop culture, and rock music.
But there’s one thing that I’ve always counted on, getting reliable news stories and sharing them in my own style. I’ve never had to wonder if this was fake news or not. Until now.
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The fake news phenomenon is real, but I hope it’s not here to stay. There are two developments out today that give me a glimmer of hope.
This website that falsely implies that it is from ABC News. (AP Photo)
First, elected officials in the other Washington are demanding that online ads become more transparent. Who is purchasing them? Are they real or some covert effort by a foreign power?
That seems like a step in the right direction. The advancements in micro-targeting and online advertising are so precise now, some kind of accountability with tech giants seems reasonable to me. However it eventually shakes out, it seems clear that our 2016 election was tampered with — big time.
The second development I saw is something that I hope catches on — schools in Italy are now making fake news a part of their curriculum. There’s a skill kids can use! Children will take classes in reading, writing, math, and now, how to spot fake news. I think that’s brilliant. We should be doing this in the United States as quickly as possible.
As much as I believe there’s value in learning geometry and reading To Kill A Mockingbird, isn’t there at least as much value in meeting today’s kids where they live: online? We need to teach our populous that, yes, there are facts. Yes, actual journalists check to make sure the things they publish are true and verifiable. And no, that crazy story from that website you’ve never heard of isn’t true.
Now that I think about it, this should be a class we all take. Based on the comment section of our own website, there are plenty of adults that could use a refresher on how to spot fake news. Let’s actually make America great again and start rejecting all the garbage news out there.
