How Do I Determine Whether Something is Fake News?
How Do I Determine Whether Something is Fake News?
Recently I posted an article on artificial intelligence (A.I.) and fake news. The fact is, it is VERY difficult to figure out if an article is accurate or not. And now because of deepfakes, it's hard to know if someone actually said something, even if you see a video of the person saying it!
But it's not just A.I. Fake news is a real thing. Many people create or propagate fake news to further their agenda. Most Americans now do not trust the media.
I received a question from Virginia who asked, "Briefly, can you tell me how you verify that something is authentic? Can you tell me your process for that?"
I thought this was a great question, so I wanted to give it some thought and answer it in the best way possible. I came up with a list of eight things that try to incorporate into my life...
FIRST, BE SKEPTICAL & USE YOUR INTUITION. I'm not talking about being a cynic, nor am I talking about being negative. You have to use good judgement to determine whether the writer has an agenda, is it well researched, does it "feel" right? Use your brain, but also use your intuition. For example, "deepfake" videos are A.I. generated fake videos of someone saying something that they didn't actually say (or doing something they didn't actually do). They are really, really convincing, but the videos aren't perfect. You may not be able to pick up on the imperfections consciously, but unconsciously you may feel that something is not right. One way to tell a deepfake video is to see if the person blinks or not. People in deepfake videos don't blink, but the programmers will fix this soon.
SECOND, DON'T HAVE A DOG IN THE RACE. Don't be too eager to want to believe something is true. I think this is the main reason that fake news is able to trick people. If you look at something objectively though, you're less likely to be fooled.
THIRD, DETACH FROM LABELS. If you tie your identity to a label, such as "I am a Democrat" or "I am a Republican", you open yourself up to manipulation. This is, in fact, an extremely effective form of mass mind control. Get someone to define themselves as a Democrat, and then simply change the definition of what a Democrat stands for. It's amazing how effective this actually is at controlling people.
FOURTH, PRAY. If you have a question on who or what to trust, pray for guidance.
FIFTH, SCIENCE. Does it make scientific sense? Does the person use scientific methods?
SIXTH, BECOME AN EXPERT IN ONE THING AND USE IT AS A MEASURING STICK. I have complete confidence in myself as an expert on drinking water. I am less an expert on many other things regarding health. But I can leverage my expertise on water to determine if someone else thinks properly. For example, if I run across a health expert and I want to see how well they think things through, I will look at what they say about water. I'm not necessarily expecting them to be an expert on water, but have they thought through the issue or are they just regurgitating the common myths? This will give me an insight into how they think, and I will be able to make a judgement about whether I should trust them or not.
SEVENTH, KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND. Another extremely effective way to manipulate people is to get their emotions stirred up. As soon as people are emotional, they stop thinking rationally. Politicians do this, but the big culprit is the media.
EIGHTH, TRUST PEOPLE (CERTAIN PEOPLE), NOT ORGANIZATIONS. I think trust is better put into people than organizations. Find a few journalists that you trust, and listen to what they say (but still question it). One of my favorites is Ben Swann. I also like Richard Maybury, because I understand and trust his perspective on the world. I do NOT trust Facebook, YouTube, Google, Microsoft, and many of the big media companies. Remember, we have the freedom to trust who we choose to trust.
As a final point, I think it's very important to be careful what you share. There is nothing easier than "sharing" an article on Facebook, but if you share fake news then you are partially to blame. Did you actually read the article, not just the headline? Do you know whether the article is accurate? Do you feel confident that it's well researched and it's fair?
Did I miss anything? Please share your tips in the comments.