In recent times , you all must have experienced the incidences of many fake news being circulated on print/TV/social media. It sometimes become really difficult to differentiate between fake and real news. There are so many instances which has happened recently, at the time when Covid 19 is spreading very fast and these fake news have added fuel to the fire. The latest example being the gathering of people near Bandra station on14th Apr. Police came into action immediately and arrested the person who started the fake news that Railways are starting special trains for migrants to go to their home town from Bandra terminus. In fact today, I am not writing about the various fake news generated recently by miscreants, in fact today’s blog is on fake news in general.
Many of us have grown up when the best possible news source used to be newspaper that arrived every morning in our homes. Then came the TV and there used to be one or two news bulletins in a day, on Doordarshan (DD). Then at the turn of this millennium came the private news channels boom on TV with 24 by 7 news channels, and later came explosion of digital media.
So suddenly, we find that we are drowning in too much of news, and that too through out the day. Constant debates with panellists from various political parties are a common scene on each and every news channel. All this is good, if only we were sure about what we are being told or even what we get to read. Recently, there many fake news portals have emerged, and even the govt is after them. The main issue is that at times few political parties, anti social elements with the help of friends in various media platforms, deliberately create the fake news with malicious intentions.
Understanding the fake news
When some people create or share unverified news especially on social media, with a deliberate intention to create unrest, or malign famous persons, leaders, institutions, or organisations or even a community or religion etc, it will be termed as fake news. The nature of social media is such that this fake news spreads very fast and there have been instances when due to the fake news, unrest is created in particular locality etc etc. The main problem is most of the people are not in position to verify the truthfulness of the news, and they fall prey to the same and react in adverse manner, which leads to fake news getting adequate attention. As responsible citizens of the country, we need to figure out if the news is fake, and forward or share only such reports when we are sure about the authenticity of the said news.
How to figure out if news or an article is fake ?
We must check the source, the publisher, the author, the website etc of the particular news item. Check if same news item is being seen on other important mainstream news sites as well. Check if the person sharing the news is trustworthy or not. Verify if the same author has other published articles that are relevant and true.
Generally, original and authentic articles will always have references to some people or websites. They will quote valid sources that you can check easily. Also, generally, the language used will be very professional. Most fake news articles have languages issues, but all well written articles need not be true as well. Following a few sample steps like this can help you figure out if the material is fake. This is even applicable to WhatsApp messages, which also get forwarded without any verifications.
How does fake news impact you ?
There are two ways which the fake news can impact you. One is the fact that the news may be about something or person that you really care. So, it might distress you, when actually there is no need for that. If the news is political or social, you may choose to discuss it with your family and friends circles. This may lead to some minor arguments, and leave a bad taste among friends. And all this for nothing as the news was fake.. Many times false medical snippets are forwarded which might be damaging to someone’s health.
Secondly when others receive fake news forwarded by you, it might happen that you may also loose your credibility as well. It is definitely possible, few people may verify the news on their own or know better. So when they constantly receive fake news from your end, they may tag you as someone who is deliberately doing for malicious reasons.
There are also legal implications of sharing fake news, especially if any unrest, riots, or any issues associated with it happens. Hence when one forward or share the sensitive news item, it is definitely advisable to check the authenticity of the same, and it has to be with full responsibility, because you might be held liable for the same.
Waiting for your views/comments/feed backs.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
16th Apr 2020.