How to Identify Fake News in Elections
It has become commonplace to see fake news (also called "Fake News") spreading across the internet as if it were true. Most of the time, they are shared by people who only read the title and don't bother to check the full text or its sources. This can be detrimental especially with the upcoming elections in Brazil, especially from those who want to disrupt certain political candidates. To learn how to identify Fake News in the elections, you can check out our tips below!
1. Open and read the news
For starters, don't make the mistake we mentioned earlier of simply looking at the headline of the news. To find out if a story is true or not, you need to open and read the full article.
This will give you very strong indications that it may be Fake News or not. With the news open, you can follow the tips below to be more sure of its accuracy.
2. Check out the website it was posted on
Checking the site where the news was posted is very important. There are great news portals you can trust, after all, they wouldn't risk your credibility by posting a fake note about a political candidate.
Of course, it is not because the site or blog is small that the news will be false. Still, you should research more about the site if it is completely unknown.
3. Check for grammatical and spelling errors
A strong indication that a story is false is if the text has many grammatical and spelling errors. Professional portals will always take correct writing seriously and review the text before it is published.
Already a person who is more concerned with viralizing fake news will do the text in a hurry and without worrying if everything is spelled correctly. Of course, that alone won't prove anything, so it's good to follow all the steps on this list.
4. Check the source
It is extremely necessary to check the source of the news you are reading. This is going to be one of the most important factors when analyzing possible false news.
If you find a text completely without fonts, you can't prove that what it is saying is real. The source may come from another larger site, interviews, videos, audios and more. Of course you can also check if the sources cited exist and are consistent with the news.
5. Research the news
Finally, we suggest that you simply search the internet for the subject reported in the news. You may find the same text on multiple small sites if it is false, for example.
If it is true, you will see different versions on websites of all sizes. This turns out to be the most conclusive way to know the truth, because there are websites that exist especially to unveil Fake News in the elections or anything else.
6. Avoid informing yourself about social media candidates
While in theory social networking is a great way to share information, this is not what happens in practice. Considering that many share articles and news without knowing about it, it is difficult to find reliable sources there.
Therefore, we suggest that you simply avoid trying to find out about candidates through Facebook, WhatsApp groups and other similar networks. If you want to know more about a candidate, it is best to look for information on portals you trust or through your own internet searches.
7. When in doubt, do not share!
Finally, here is the hint that if you have any questions about the truth of a news story, it is best not to share it. This goes for more open social networks or for private groups you have with your friends or family.
It is better to be cautious in these situations than to spread even more false news to others. If you see someone sharing Fake News, it is also good to try to inform them respectfully.
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