“Can I Have The Truth Please?”

Posted on by Alex Manfredi

In a world where information is shared in a rapid and inclusive manner, people are torn between convenience and THE TRUTH. We feel left out, almost ashamed if someone runs up to you and says “Did you hear about ___?” and you have no clue… However, with fake news being a giant issue in all social media and Facebook especially… it is becoming harder and harder to determine what is real and what isn’t. The fact that Zuckerberg even claimed there was no issue with fake news shows the denial that Facebook was in before they were brought to court.

Instead of saying what I should do, say what should I not do.

Don’t believe everything you read on social media! Being a safe reader allows me to question foreign and domestic news and research stories. When I go out of my way to research information it helps verify news and also helps make me more knowledgeable about the story as a whole.

One other way I combat this is the idea of strength in numbers. By following multiple news outlets either via app, website or plain newspaper I can help authenticate my information through multiple sources of media.

With these two key focuses in mind, I can help be the last “gatekeeper” on the media/news I authenticate on Facebook, especially when they have a problem doing it themselves:

Media you trust should be news outlets that are verified and ones that are dedicated to giving you TRUTHFUL information about the world around us. While trustful news outlets and cross-referencing can help prevent fake news on Facebook, I hold it to myself to research stories and continue to become an active source of verification in my life. To learn more about how Facebook is combatting fake news read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/06/facebook-launches-controls-regulate-ads-publishers

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