Fake News and Fact Checking

Communication is part of our daily lives, we communicate both verbally or non-verbally. In

this modern world, we often communicate online, facing the screen of our gadgets and either

reading about other people or posting about ourselves. Answering the Facebook feed question,

“What’s on your mind?” We are able to communicate our thoughts to the virtual world. However,

according to API (American Press Institute), “The world, and especially the online world, is awash

in communication. The vast majority of this communication, however, is not news and especially

not journalism.” These tries to explain that the way communication works now is not for the

purpose of news nor journalism, it does not keep us informed and empowered nor provides verified

information. Based on the first principle on the Five Core Principles of Journalism, truth and

accuracy, it is their responsibility to get the facts right and to verify the information that they have

retrieved.

“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”

- Attributed to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Sec. James R. Schlesinger, Bernard Baruch

Social media platforms like Facebook has also been an avenue for the dissemination of

fake news and disinformation throughout its platform. People have the power to post whatever
they want and disseminate information that may be fake, and unverified. Unlike journalism where

news cannot publish unless checked and approved by its editor, this ensures that the information

that are released are as reliable as possible. There should be free press and counter forces to hold

accountable those who are in power. However, Facebook (with Google and Twitter) has undercut

the power of free press. It has worn out the power of journalism and contributed to rising number

of fake news in its platform.

On January 11 of this year, Facebook attempts to battle fake news in the United Kingdom

by partnering up with Full Fact a British charitable organization that focuses on fact-checking

service to help get rid of fake news in its platform after many years of criticism and users can now

report posts they suspect of as fake.

Sources:

https://mashable.com>article

https://www.independent.co.uk

https://www.bbc.co.uk>news
Based on The Psychology of Fake News, Waytz pointed out two main reasons, the first one is

called Motivated reasoning, a person is motivated to believe whatever confirms his opinion. It is

the perception of the persons mind the information is believable and true because it is aligned what

he/she believes in and can be used to prove his/her point. The second reason is Naïve realism, the

tendency to believe that our perception of reality is the only accurate view, and that people who

disagree with us are necessarily uninformed.

As online citizens it is also our responsibility to only post things that are factual and true, to keep

in mind that whatever we post online may affect the lives of other people and create