In the era of “fake news,” it’s hard to know when something is real without doing some extensive research, particularly when something is posted on social media. It can be especially tough to decipher whether or not the story is true. However, it’s a common habit that people will read something and believe it without doing any background research, especially if the story aligns with their political views. While a lot of times these stories just end up in contradictions and misunderstandings, some end up having drastic consequences. For example, the fake story spread by Wikileaks about Hilary Clinton running a human trafficking site out of a pizzeria. An enraged man saw the story, open fired in the restaurant, and was promptly arrested. These fake stories fly around social media and real life conversation without any evidence to back them up and can cause trouble, which sometimes is the initial intended effect.
A lot of times, students are some of the biggest culprits of spreading news that they haven’t looked into. Often times, they go along with whatever their parents tell them (or what they see on social media, which may or may not be true), then sharing it with their peers.
“I try to teach all of my students that if they are going to engage in discussion, that they at least have evidence to back up what they are saying. I also teach my students that so much of the news today is actually just commentary, so it’s an analysis and opinion of someone else’s take on an event. It’s important to go back and find the primary sources, if they are going to bring their point to class and say something about it,” said History teacher Shelli Barton.
According to Pew Research Center, 64% of Americans use Facebook, half of users look to it for their primary source of news. The obvious problem with that, and other news on social media in general, is that anyone can post whatever they want on the site, without any evidence or fact checking. If such a large amount of the population is getting their information from sources that aren’t credible, it is much easier for fake stories to take center stage.
The problem doesn’t end with unreliable news, because even real news can get twisted when it’s shared. Whether it’s exaggerated in order to make the story more interesting or changed due to lack of understanding, after being shared several times, the story could change completely.
“Misinformation is harming students’ ability to evaluate the truth. Truth is a tricky word because truth is in the eye of the beholder. I challenge students to question everything and find the sources of what they are saying. It’s okay to have a different opinion on something as long as you’re informed about it,” said Barton.
Overall, while the problem cannot ever be completely solved, one can alleviate the issue by doing further research on the topic at hand. Locating further research on a subject can make a small difference in the spreading of unreliable media.
Grace Becker // News Editor
