Separating the fact from the fiction
Here are some top tips to help Strathy readers separate the fact from the fiction during the times of misinformation and coronavirus.
Conspiracy theories, false information, and photo-shopped images… as Covid-19 spreads, so does the fake news.
Social media giants are struggling to keep-up as they work with the government’s rapid response unit trying to crack down on misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the biggest myths at the moment is that the new 5G telecoms network is spreading coronavirus and has lead to damage to vital infrastructure at a time of national need.
As The Guardian reports: "At least 20 mobile phone masts across the UK are believed to have been torched or otherwise vandalised since Thursday, according to government and industry sources who are increasingly concerned about the impact of baseless theories linking coronavirus to 5G networks.
"There have been noticeable clusters of attacks on masts around Liverpool and the West Midlands.
"Owing to the slow rollout of 5G in the UK, many of the masts that have been vandalised did not contain the technology and the attacks merely damaged 3G and 4G equipment."
Trying to distinguish fact from fiction is increasingly difficult in this age especially when world leaders have repeated inaccuracies to their millions of followers.
US President Donald Trump infamously said that the US could shake off coronavirus by Easter and open up much of America.
Ruth Sparkes, editor of teen magazine Future Mag, give some top easy tips on identifying when we’re being fed fake news:
Where did the info come from?
Look at the publication or site and look at its other stories – consider whether there is any other possible dodgy content.
Is it current?
Sometimes a story from years ago can be re used to give the impression of ‘new’ news.
Look closer
Check whether the story has been published on other credible sites.
What’s underneath the headline?
Some publications and websites use ‘click-bait’ headlines as a way to encourage you to ‘click’ on the story. Sometimes the actual story bears no resemblance to its headline.
Research the author
If the article has a writer’s byline – Google them or checkout their social media accounts to see what other articles they’ve written, and to work out whether they might have a hidden agenda or a particular line to push.
And lastly,
Check the facts
There are some great fact-checking websites such as: https://fullfact.org and https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ to use when you’re really not sure about a story.
Future is a free careers, education and lifestyle magazine for 14-18s. It is distributed via schools and colleges. For more details visit www.future-mag.co.uk
