The social media site shared tips on how to identify fake news, including the following:
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- Be skeptical of headlines. As what we’ve seen in many of Meme Buster’s busted articles, most fake stories have catchy, shocking headlines. If it sounds unbelievable, it probably is fake. The problem is that it is easier for many people to fall for these fake stories because they only read the headline, not caring about what its content says.
- Look closely at the URL. Meme Buster has busted so many hoax sites trying to mimic real news sources. Remember thet1mes.com, cnn-alive.com, Aljazeera-channel.com, and so many more? It would be best to visit the website of the authentic news sources to verify the news.
- Investigate the source. Make sure to patronize only news from a source that you trust for publishing accurate news. It also helps to check the source’s About page.
- Watch for unusual formatting. You may have noticed make fake news sites using weird layouts or misspelled words. If they are quite consistent in making such errors, perhaps it would be better to move to another source.
- Consider the photos. This is another pattern widely observed among fake news sites as they use heavily edited photos or videos, photos that are not in any way related to their headline or content. In some cases, you can use Google reverse image search to identify the source of the photo used in the fake stories.
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- Inspect the dates. We have also busted articles that are recycled and made to appear like recent news, stories with altered dates, or those with confusing timelines.
- Check the evidence. Even if the article provides sources, confirm those sources yourself to further test the story’s accuracy. Fake news stories cannot present reliable sources or enough proof to substantiate their claim.
- Look at other reports. If the story isn’t reported by other sources, it is likely fake. Meme Buster has debunked several reports for carrying statements from certain personalities, only to find out that those statements cannot be found in the reports of other sources.
- Is the story a joke? Deliberate fake news are different from satire. Check the source’s About page to see whether they intend to make satirical stories for fun or to parody certain events.
- Some stories are intentionally false. Nope, they weren’t intended to be funny. These stories were created to deliberately fool people.
You can stop fake news from spreading now by following the tips above. Or visit our website at memebuster.net to give us more pointers about potential fake stories and help us debunk fake news stories.
Source: ( independent.co.uk )
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