Fake news: how to spot it

There is no doubt that today's internet is split between real news from reliable sources and false news, the so-called fake news. In this article, we will help you tell the two apart.

Fake news is a particularly dangerous problem on social media, where it is getting harder and harder to tell reality from fiction. All over the world, political parties use this to set themselves apart from their rivals, but the areas hit by this phenomenon go well beyond politics.

Disinformation and propaganda are everywhere online today, and they keep spreading around the globe. Worse still, on top of fake news, a new phenomenon has appeared on the internet: deepfake videos, in which images and sound are manipulated in highly sophisticated ways so that a person appears to say something they never said.

So how do you know whether a piece of content is true or has been manipulated?

1. Always check the source

Only trust news published by verified, recognised media outlets. If you come across a story from a strange website and, after searching, you cannot find it anywhere else, you are most likely looking at fake news.

Real news can usually be found on the websites and pages of the main media outlets. In Portugal, several websites have already been flagged as spreading fake news: Semanarioextra, Jornaldiario, Noticiario.com and Magazinelusa, among many others.

2. Sensationalist photos and text

If you come across highly sensationalist headlines and photos that are often taken out of context, be suspicious. Look into the subject and find out more to be sure, but it is almost certainly a made-up story.

The story of the luxury watch of Catarina Martins, leader of the Bloco de Esquerda (a Portuguese left-wing party), spread by the website Direita Política, is a good example. The "formula" seems simple: take a photo or a montage, add a sensationalist caption in huge letters and wait for the public to make it go viral.

Of course, you should also bear in mind your own beliefs, political leanings and tastes, as they can shape how you see and judge the content you find online. It is not always easy to agree with a news story, and today many "facts" may just be a matter of perspective.

3. The media get it wrong too

It is also important to know that even the most respected media outlets can make mistakes. Newsrooms keep getting smaller, and checking facts more than once has become almost impossible. Even the best get it wrong now and then!

4. Understand advertising and the algorithm

Always keep this in mind: social media platforms and many websites make money from advertising. That is why, whenever you click on or search for something, you are likely to start seeing ads and finding more content related to that topic. Yes, even if that content comes from unreliable websites.

Hence the need to be doubly careful! Some platforms, however, have already started doing a good job when it comes to fact checking. On Facebook and Twitter, for example, you can already find articles that have been verified and others that have been flagged as false.

5. Consider how impartial your friends are

Even the best of friends don't agree on every topic, just as we don't always agree with what the president of our football club or the representative of our political party says. Yet we often feel that if a friend or relative shares something, it must be true. But that is not always the case.

Just because someone makes a claim does not mean it is true. Nor does it necessarily mean they are lying: they may simply have been misled. That is why it is up to you to filter the information that reaches you every day and judge whether it is true, always taking into account how impartial the source is.

The effort is worth it, because you will always have accurate information and be able to draw your own conclusions on any subject. So research a lot, on many different websites, and look at opposing points of view. Only then can you form your own opinion.

6. Sources of information must be scrutinised

Just because someone often appears in your feed talking about a subject does not mean they are an expert, have no hidden agenda or that what they say is true. Don't hesitate to take a sceptical stance towards what you see on the internet. It is the best way to stay well informed.

Always try to find out more about that person. Search for their name, their career and, if necessary, their social media. Today, more than ever, it matters why a particular person talks about a particular subject in a particular way. On social media especially, it is essential not to read just one point of view or rely on a single source of information.

7. The pandemic and bias

We are living through difficult times, partly because of the economic crisis and partly because of the lockdown we were, and still are, under. That is enough to leave some people feeling a little lost. On top of that, people have never spent so much time in front of computer and phone screens, especially on social media.

Social tensions are getting worse, geopolitical rivalries are growing, and this is fertile ground for fake news. We have even seen groups pose as rival groups to provoke incidents and discredit them. So it is up to each of us to spot false narratives and articles, and we can always turn to fact-checking services such as Polígrafo.

Fake news is often part of coordinated attacks to harm rivals, usually political ones, and to divide the population. It also takes fewer technical skills, and creating and spreading it is cheaper than a typical cyberattack.

Of course, fake news is more widespread and has a bigger real impact in countries such as China, Russia or the United States. Even so, plenty of fake news is already spreading across the internet in Portugal, and it can do real harm.

Never forget: not everything on the internet is true!