Let’s talk about fake news

By Anthony Morris

Did you hear about the rumor that I.C.E. was on San Juan Island? I heard the rumor last Tuesday from more than one person. I was hearing it from enough sources that it seemed that it must be true. Sheriff Eric Peter did some investigating and determined that nothing happened at any of the San Juan Island locations rumored to have been visited by I.C.E. It was a startling story, but nothing more.

I have appreciated the recent work of our local reporter Kristina Stucki, who, concerning these I.C.E. rumors and a Facebook conversation about Amazon vans from a month ago, has written about how quickly incorrect information can spread through our small community. Social media – that gift that helps us stay connected with friends and family – can be an all-too-helpful means of spreading misinformation and making it seem real. This is a warning we all need to keep in mind: it is easy to accidentally spread bad information even when everyone acts in good faith.

And as we all know, sometimes people do not act in good faith. On a much larger scale, I have been alarmed to watch how someone can use artificial intelligence to generate images, stories and even videos that appear real and legitimate yet have no basis in reality. On social media, I have seen information and pictures related to alarming stories, but when I search those stories on legitimate news sites, I discover that they have been fabricated and have no basis in fact. It can be challenging to discern what is real and what is fake.

Fortunately, we are not powerless. When presented with information online, we should be mindful that not everything we see is true and do a little sleuthing before we hit that “Share” button and spread something we may come to regret later. This kind of work takes effort, but it is well worth it. We all need access to accurate information to make good decisions. If we all do our part to take care and resist spreading misinformation, its reach will be diminished, and fewer people will be misled.

How can you tell if something is real news or fake? For myself, my very first test is often the “smell test,” meaning I always ask myself whether the story before me smells fishy or not. If a story sounds too perfect, too weird, too bad or too good to be true, that may be an indication that it is made up. These recommendations from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions are good methods to help determine whether or not the news is real:

• Consider the source: Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info. Be cautious of information you can only find on social media, YouTube or other sources in which anyone can post anything.

• Supporting sources: Can you find other news sources reporting the same information? If the report has links, follow those links and make sure the information given supports the story.

• Read beyond: Headlines can be outrageous to get clicks. What’s the whole story?

• Check the author: Do a quick search on the author. Are they credible? Are they real?

• Check the date: Reposting old news stories doesn’t mean they’re relevant to current events.

• Is it a joke? If it is too outlandish, it might be satire. Research the site and author to be sure.

• Check your biases and theirs: Consider whether your own beliefs will influence your judgment. Consider how their biases may influence how they depict information.

• Ask the experts: Find out who would know the facts of the story, and check what they are saying.

Finally, the Local Resources and Useful Links page on the library website (www.sjlib.org) includes some links to sites that work to combat misinformation and fake news, which you can use to help determine if what you’re seeing is real news or fake. Practice will make you nearly perfect!