The internet and social media have become our main sources for news and information, but we can’t always believe everything that we see. In this article, Daniel, member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group, talks about fake information and news.
Today I’m going to be writing my article on fake information and news. I’m picking this topic as in recent times, people have (especially on social media) started spreading false information about a variety of topics. Now, it has become extremely important to be able to identify what is true or false.
The tips I’m about to provide I have fact checked from many sites (such as this BBC news article The ‘Sift’ strategy: A four-step method for spotting misinformation – BBC ) and I have also learnt from education at school. I believe it is imperative to be able to identify false information as it can be extremely harmful. For example people who are anti vax may spread misinformation which susceptible young people may fall victim to – from no fault of their own.
Part of starting to be able to figure out what’s true and false, is by thinking about past mistakes on the matter. Everyone gets things wrong, and it’s a good idea to come to terms with the fact that humans aren’t perfect! Thinking back to the past and thinking about your own old mistakes, will help you avoid making more in the future.
If you believe you’ve fallen victim to harmful misinformation you can report it at Stop Hate UK: Home. It is also important you realise you’re not alone and others have made the same mistake.
If you want to check if something is correct online, you can check the topic on a more established site such as the BBC, National Geographic and more.
Another tactic is assessing the source and verifying the website’s legitimacy, you should also look for an “About Us” section, and check if the author is qualified to write on the topic. This will show if the author is a specialised professional or an amateur in the field.
Likewise, it is also useful to check if you recognize any groups or information stated. This will help you get an accurate opinion on whether this information could be correct or falsified. For example, if a quote states that it is from the NHS and after researching is proven to be true, then that would mean the information is more likely to be true.
Overall, there are a wide variety of different methods of how to check for misinformation so if you find this interesting or helpful, I would recommend delving into the topic deeper. I hope you have found this article Overall helpful.
Thank you for reading!
Daniel
Not just elected members
Did you know that Somerset Youth Parliament isn’t just it’s elected members? Any young person in Somerset aged 10-25 years can become a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group.
For more information about becoming a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group and to join, visit our Join Us page.
