How can journalists debunk fake news stories?
Isabela P.
Coordenadora de Conteúdo e Projetos Digitais |Doutoranda em Comunica??o (PUC-Rio) | Mestre em Mídias Digitais (UFRJ)
Social media and networks are vital nowadays to the spread of information, that is to say, more people can access news using this channel. It happens when a large extent of population receive messages only using their smartphone. On the other hand, some stories are based on misleading reports, creating the phenomena of desinformation, in which news are cretead to manipulate and influence public opinion.
Fake news, for instance, are not new: they are as ancient as human history, cause it refers to a human feeling – the necessity of telling people what is happening. Part of our daily life, rumors spread much faster by the Internet.
So, how can journalists debunk this fake news stories? At first, it is importante to identify from what source the news is being propagated. Secondly, a good advice is to check if the information was published in any reliable channel, like government and the Ministry of Health.
Then, when you realize that non oficial websites are involved in the process of creating fake news, you have to share this information with your Family and friends. Be careful – It′s not just because you received an email from a colleague that this information is trustful.
In this scenario, journalistic work of checking information and its source is demanding, to prevent society from the risks of fake news stories.
Did you like this article?
You can read more texts about fake news here