My perspective - Sifting through the fact and fiction
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- Published on Friday, September 20, 2019
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
Neepawa Banner & Press
As we close in on next month鈥檚 federal election, Canadians are looking to better understand the parties, the candidates and the issues. But it鈥檚 not quite as simple as it used to be. Today, with everything they read and see, Canadians need to be asking if the information they鈥檙e finding is accurate. Is it even true?
In a campaign that鈥檚 evoking strong feelings and in which all sides are using a variety of tactics and mediums to call out their opponents, the average citizen can鈥檛 be faulted for having trouble deciphering fact from fiction when it comes to information. Everyone wants to ensure they鈥檙e well informed and no one wants to have their opinions influenced by something untrue, so what鈥檚 a person to do?
As readers begin to delve into their research, here are a few things to keep in mind. While slants and biases have been part of news coverage from the beginning, what鈥檚 unprecedented is the extent to which the internet has allowed stories with no solid basis in fact to be packaged and presented to readers as if they were true. Few want to admit they鈥檝e been duped, but they shouldn鈥檛 be ashamed; media literacy hasn鈥檛 been part of most people鈥檚 formal education. The ability to decipher fact from fiction will be increasingly crucial, especially as cases of foreign governments looking to influence our elections become more prevalent.
When looking for news online, it鈥檚 easy for fiction to be dressed as fact. This goes beyond style and presentation鈥� I鈥檝e seen stories online that look exactly like a page from a legitimate news source, even matching the logo and typographical style. But once you look at the URL, you can see that the web address doesn鈥檛 match that of the site it鈥檚 pretending to be. If the name in the URL doesn鈥檛 match the name and logo on the page, be very skeptical.
Also remember to check for an 鈥淎bout鈥� page. Legitimate new sources are eager to tell you about themselves and let you know things, like when they were founded, where they鈥檙e located, the names of their staff members and how you can contact them.
While legitimate news sources will have catchy headlines, the headlines generally won鈥檛 make you angry when you read them. This isn鈥檛 the case for fabricated stories, which rely on the ad revenue generated when a reader clicks through. In almost all cases, be wary when headlines create a visceral reaction and be very wary of headlines that include the words, 鈥淵ou鈥檒l never believe鈥� or 鈥渟hocking鈥�.
Perhaps the biggest measure of how grounded in fact a story is is how it makes you feel. Fake news is a form a propaganda and it鈥檚 used to influence the thoughts and opinions of voters. If after reading a story you feel strongly, especially in a negative way, towards a party or candidate, take pause. While reputable news organizations aim to inform, propaganda aims to get people angry. When writing about contentious issues, legitimate news sources will try to present the story in a factual and balanced way. As you read, ask yourself questions like, 鈥淲ho are the story鈥檚 sources?鈥� and 鈥淗ow reputable are they?鈥� These questions can help readers judge the accuracy of a story.
Today, we carry the world around in our pockets, but we need to realize the world of information, and disinformation, isn鈥檛 what it once was. We are now all editors and fact checkers, as we open our computers and click on links, it鈥檚 something we need to keep in mind.
