Librarian offers tips to recognize fake news

“Did anyone see any fake news today?”

Katlyn Griffin, information literacy librarian at Southeast Missouri State University’s Kent Library, presented her program “Don’t Get Fooled: Determining What News to Trust” on Saturday afternoon at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

Griffin said the reason she gave this program on April Fools’ Day was she wants people to critically examine news every day, and she thought it was likely people would see at least some satirical news articles, or outright hoaxes, on April 1.

Audience members called out topics they’d seen, such as Michelle Obama filing for divorce and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay cutting off his hand, that they had realized were fakes.

One audience member recalled she had fallen for the now-debunked story of actor Will Ferrell’s car breaking down in Cape Girardeau late last year.

The danger in fake news is, it creates confusion, punches holes in what is true, and creates a funhouse effect leaving readers doubting everything, including real news, Griffin said.

Griffin does a lot of work with students at the university, she said, teaching them which sources are more reputable, and how to make appropriate claims in their papers and presentations.

Fake news, Griffin said, has several hallmarks.

“It’s deliberately published to fool or mislead,” she said. “It may be created to go viral,” she added, explaining some fake-news sites will have multiple pop-up ads or sidebar ads, monetizing their online traffic by the click.

Clickbait titles — that is, titles that offer little information but sensational or salacious hints instead — are another indicator of fake news, she said.

“Headline structure tells you what the headline writer wants you to take away from it,” Griffin said.

Griffin said it is as important to know what fake news is, as to know what it isn’t. News with an obvious bias, as is often found on cable news networks or opinion reporting being presented as fact, is not necessarily fake, she said. Opinion-based articles or editorials are similarly not necessarily fake.

Incomplete or breaking news requires more work on the part of the reader, she said.

“Check sources, look at what other reports are saying,” Griffin said.

Finally, Griffin said, a tough point to remember is, news isn’t fake just because the viewer or reader does not agree with it.

“Point of view does not equal bias,” Griffin said.

Griffin gave some examples of websites that refer to themselves as “joke” or “satire” sites, but are constructed to look like a legitimate news source. One, abcnews.com.co, has been taken down, but there are others, she said.

“React365.com actually has a form on its main page for you to submit your own ‘joke’ story,” she said.

Whitney Vandeven, reference associate and program coordinator for the Cape Girardeau Public Library, added that as long as people are out there who don’t fact-check, and there always will be, it is up to individuals to take personal responsibility for finding and sharing credible news stories.

Griffin agreed, and said, unfortunately, a lot of what she is seeing now involves partisanship.

“Some people seem to unfailingly trust things in alignment with their parties, almost as with a sports team,” Griffin said.

Griffin gave some strategies she said are important to keep in mind while reading any articles. “Consider the source,” she said. Does the website have an “about” page or a disclaimer? What other stories has the reporter written? Searching the reporter and the website with terms such as “fake” or “disclaimer” will be helpful, she said.

“Look beyond the initial story,” Griffin said. “Am I meant to react a certain way?” Provoking reactions is typical of fake news stories, Griffin said.

Social-media sites are notorious for sharing stories out of context, Griffin added.

“Check the date on the story,” she said. “It might be from three years ago.”

Fact checking isn’t easy, Griffin said, which is why there are several dedicated fact-checking sites that employ full-time fact checkers. Sites such as www.factcheck.org, www.snopes.com and www.politifact.org are reputable, Griffin said, but each on its own is not complete or perfect, so it’s important to check all three.

Librarians are also an excellent resource, Griffin said.

In all, Griffin said, there are a few takeaways: “Look at the content, not just the appearance,” she said. “Perspective does not equal bias.

“Find the original source of a story. Fact check sites help with that.

“Finally, check your own emotions and biases.”

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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