#My problem is that this probably isnt even permanent. odds are this is a fake out and terry jr will come back in whatever way

[topicaltropic]

Hmmm. Unsatisfying episode we got this week !

[mrodri23-blog]

Fake news on facebook: how baby-boomers+ can spot it

Source: Pod Save America, crooked.com 

Fake news is false, fabricated, or misleading information with the intent of misinforming the public and spreading misinformation.

It has come to my attention that many of you baby-boomers+, parents to my friends, aunts, uncles, and more, are consistently sharing links and stories on Facebook that are very much false. Instead of posting the cute family photos from your Disney trip last break and charming throwbacks, you’re spreading fake news! I’ve decided that’s it’s time to help you put a stop to that.

This is for those of you with weaker scores in the digital literacy department. It’s understandable, fake news is a fairly new phenomenon, in addition to evolving to become one of the most pressing problems that has yet seen a permanent solution. All we all can do, is learn how to separate the real from the unreal. Furthermore, this guide is here to help you become better at distinguishing what is and what isn’t fake news. Additionally, hopefully you’ll stop sharing it! 

Don’t fall for the clickbait!

Fake news sites, sources, and stories quite literally will bait you into clicking the article. In order to do so, negative language or a negative event may be employed to draw you in. One’s naturally more likely to click on story that covers death or some other grandiose—sounding event. In other words, if it’s too good, or too bad, to be true— it probably isn’t true.   

This is especially for the sponsored stories at the bottom of many cites. 

What is being said? 

It’s a simple concept, but it’s the root of the problem. Take a moment, and ask yourself if the claims being made. Does it make sense? Is it possible? Is this Realistic? Is this logical? Overall, is this bullshit? Let me introduce you to a term called pseudo-profound bullshit. This means that what’s being said, is being said for a reason. The statements have incentive. In this case, the incentive is to interest you enough to simply share the story. 

Now this is just absolutely ridiculous. 

Where is this story coming from? 

Look at the site and look for who the story is from. New outlets such as CNN and The New Yorker are large organizations that have a process for streaming and vetting accurate information. Even with major news sources like Fox News, it’s always important to question the legitimacy of where the story stems from and its intent. Also, look at the domain and url. Do you recognize the site? If not, sites with .edu and .com are more reliable that .co. Example being that abcnews.com and abcnews.com.co are two very different things. 

No offense to Empire News, it just isn't a reliable news site. These sites purposely publish sources hoaxes and misinformation. There’re no accountability or integrity behind these sites. Therefore, it’s important to keep yourself accountable! 

Just because it happened in Florida, doesn’t mean it’s real. 

Is Florida an odd state? Yes. Do the most unusual stories always just manage to happen in Florida? Yes. Nonetheless, this doesn’t make everything real just because it’s stated to have happened in Florida. 

No. 

Quotes 

Is there a reliable source confirming the information presented? If you copy and paste the quote into Google, are you able to easily find where, when, and who said it? If the only site you can find it happens to be the “article” you’re looking at, it’s very likely that it’s just fake news and that the quote was fabricated. 

Denzel Washington has never endorsed Donald Trump and, in fact, he has previously been outspoken about his disapproval of the President. A simple google search would have revealed all of this information. 

Do your own digging. 

It’s important to remember that it’s difficult to instantly look at a post on Facebook and determine wether something on your feed is fake news or now. The purpose of guide was to promote reflective open-mindedness over reflexive open-mindedness. Reflexive open-mindedness is the state and action of  mindlessly taking in information but not processing or analyzing it. It’s basically what everyone does when on Facebook, simply scroll without exerting much thought into what one’s consuming.  

Reflective open-mindedness is consciously approaching and processing information when received. It’s the continuous treatment and view that news exists in and is created through discourse, and it’s ultimately up to you to decide how you’re taking the news. 

Look through the page itself. Actually click the article and explore the website. If you google the concept, are you able to find another source? It’s extremely unlikely that the story wasn’t covered by someone else. 

It’s always important to remember to fake news are reliant and prey on one’s gullibility for profit. Check the facts! This could be through clicks or through defrauding and misleading readers. Always be forthcoming when it comes to considering the facts. Don’t give in to conspiracies such as this one that take a negative event and manipulate it for political organizing overall misinforming audiences.  

It’s understandable that everything that one sees and reads as a consumer, that you’d be susceptible to falling for and spreading fake news. Unfortunately, there is no permanent fix. Dissolving the issue heavily relies on your own diligence! If you care enough to make an effort and do better, you’ll be better! Let’s start spreading, sharing, and learning about the real news, and using Facebook as a platform for that instead.