By Dalianny Corporan
Fake News is more common in the news world today.
More often nowadays, people are taking the news at face-value if it aligns to their beliefs and are being skeptical towards the news that differs from their bias.
In the major news networks, viewers see how America over the last couple of years has become political and divisive. Conservatives and liberals cannot come to a middle ground in issues such as healthcare, gun reform, and immigration.
Mainstream news is biased to appeal to either a conservative or liberal viewer. So, no two news coverings will be the same. So how did this start?
Benjamin M. from Valparaiso, Chile shared his opinion on the start of fake news.
“The birth of fake news began when the journalism industry became massive to such an extent that both competition for the public and the way the news was read changed dramatically,” said Benjamin M., “degenerating journalism to actions such as ‘clickbait’ or directly false news in search of a large mass of audience.”
Fake news was created to appeal to specific audiences.
Enrika G. from Telšių r., Lithuania explains the negative psychological impact.
“...information shapes our world view: we make important decisions based on information. We form an idea about people or a situation by obtaining information,” said Enrika G., “so if the information we saw on the Web is invented, false, exaggerated or distorted, we won’t make good decisions. Fake news can cause health problems, fears and more.”
There have been many cases of Fake News making consumers paranoid of a problem that might not even exist. For example, the debunked Pizzagate scandal accused Hillary Clinton and her campaign manager of hosting a child trafficking ring in a D.C pizzeria during her 2016 campaign. To read more on this click here.
The incident got so believed that a man even tried to break into the pizzeria to save the non-existent children.
When people spot invalid news often, it makes them distrustful of news altogether because they do not know what is true anymore.
Neda A. from Telšių r., Lithuania explains her disbelief.
“I am really concerned about the amount of fake news today. Since I'm into politics and I like to read articles I come across quite a few of fake news articles. They are usually very misleading and incorrect,” said Neda A., “usually, the people who write them only do that for their own good. Fake news left a negative impact on me - it gave me trust issues and also taught me not to trust everything I read.”
Fake news even makes objective news look questionable. According to Factcheck, here are some ways to spot fake news: consider the source, read beyond the headline, check the author, check the date, and check one’s own bias.
Cable news is biased and mainstream. It is also better to find independent news outlets that cover the news more objective. Here is an article on great unbiased news outlets.
Fake news will not go away until the people change. Until people stop thinking that information is supposed to come one certain way. A way this can change is if people become more informed of the world by reading more objective information.
Also, another way to escape fake news is to disconnect from the internet and television and go out and connect with the real world. The television and internet can be exhausting to constantly consume. Social media is the biggest consumer of time.
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