What's the solution to fake news?

Fake news goes well beyond satirical websites that aim to make a point about the absurdity of a current event. Rather than evoking a chuckle or sparking a conversation, fake news sites seek to deliberately confuse and misinform the general public on a wide variety of hot topics. Some fake news sites go so far as to appear as if they are a legitimate version of a credible news site, such as The New York Times or ABC News.

While some people dismiss fake news sites as an unfortunate jinx, there has been widespread public outrage over the effect that fake news sites have had on elections and public discourse. What makes fake news sites so difficult to track down and control is that the sites are often maintained in foreign countries and are able to produce new content at a remarkable rate. In addition, public appetite for sensational journalism is exceptionally high.

It stands to reason that these fake news sites would not gain the viewership that they seek without major platforms, such as Facebook and Google. If there were legislation in place to ban the profit from advertising dollars from fake news sites, individual companies would put more vetting practices in place to check for fake news content posted on their sites. While there is no realistic way to stop an individual from posting fake content online, top companies can certainly do more to make the spread of such distasteful content more difficult.

Public pressure on Facebook to take a more active role in policing fake news content has brought this issue into the limelight. While Facebook has acknowledged that more can be done to put a stop to the spread of fake news, it also says it does not want to police its users or stand in the way of their free speech. For the sake of getting a handle on legitimate journalism once again, there is a strong case to be made for Facebook and similar sites to act as a better gatekeeper of the content that is masquerading as journalism.

California is considering a bill to require public schools to arm students with the knowledge of how to spot a fake news site from grade seven through high school. Many universities are also addressing this topic so that students are equipped to navigate the often confusing sea of fake news articles all over the Internet.

Some of the most common ways that you can spot a fake news site are to check for the URL. If the address ends in ".co" or something similar, there is a good chance that it does not belong to a reputable news site. You can also check to see where the contact for the site is located. If it is not based out of a commercial building, then it is probably not an actual news site. Keep in mind that it is highly unlikely that an individual site is reporting on a story that the major news outlets have otherwise missed. If you think you are reading an exclusive story, try checking other recognizable sites to see if they have also mentioned it.

Many fake news sites use fake author names to make themselves appear legitimate, but no worthwhile author would actually attribute their name to the article. Google search the names of the authors of the article you are reading to see what else they have written. If there are no matching results, then it is likely that the article is not credible. The same goes for the name of the publication itself. You may find the publication listed on another site that tracks fake news outlets, such as Snopes.com or FactCheck.org. Try to resist the urge to share a story that is blatantly inflammatory or polarizing before you go through the process of checking these criteria. If something seems too outlandish to be true, it almost always is.

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