CLARETIAN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA

NEKEDE, OWERRI, IMO STATE.

NAME: PAUL FRANCIS OJO

CLASS: 100

DEPARTMENT: PHILOSOPHY

COURSE TITLE: SOCIAL COMMUNICATION

COURSE CODE: PHL 107

LECTURER: VR. FR, HILARION EKEAYANWU, CMF

TOPIC: WRITE HOW TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN REAL AND FAKE NEWS.

DATE: 19TH JANUARY, 2024

OUTLINE:

1.0 INTRODUCTION
2.0 DEFINITION OF NEWS
3.0 FEATURES OF FAKE AND REAL NEWS
4.0 WAYS OF DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN FAKE AND REAL NEWS
5.0 CONCLUSION
REFERENCE
INTRODUCTION

Distinguishing between the nature of real news and that of fake news can be very challenging
and tough in this age we are. This age is an information age where anybody can wake up
anytime of the night and put online that the president of the country id dead. The question will
now be; how can we know if this news is real or fake? In this article, we would be seeing the
ways of differentiating between real and fake news.

NEWS

According to online etymology dictionary, “new comes from the word ‘new’ which means
recent. News is a report of recent events or facts previously known. It is information about what
has happened, is happening or will be happening soon. News are meant to be positive or
naturally true but because of some reasons, some people decide to carry fake news up and
down.

FEATURES OF FAKE NEWS

Fake news is false or misleading information presented to someone or the public as news fake
news have no basis in facts but are presented as being factually accurate. They are usually
created to deceive readers, to influence people’s views, push a political agenda or cause
confusion. Types of fake news include; propaganda, sloppy journalism, satire/parody,
misleading headings and so on.

FEATURES OF REAL NEWS

HOW TO DISTINGUISH REAL NEWS FROM FAKE NEWS

Distinguishing between real and fake news is an act that one should take very seriously in order
not to be lost nor mislead. Here are some ways one can use to distinguish between fake and real
news:

What Is The Site:

As discussed above, while people fall all over the board ideologically in deciding whether they
trust a mainstream news source, the truth is that most major recognized sources for news
journalism are not going to produce clickbait fake news. Most of the fake news sources that go
for “shock” value and produce fake stories are not as recognized. Look into the source itself and
see whether it is a website that you can trust.

Check the Domain:

Many fake news stories use URLs and domain names similar to reputable news sources to
mimic them. One of the best ways to determine whether a site is legitimate is to examine the
ending of the URL, as these fake sites will often use something like “.com.co,” as opposed to
the “.com” of the actual site. Just like you should never enter personal information into your
bank’s website without first verifying it’s not a phishing site, you should double-check the URL
of the news sites in social media posts.

What Are The Authors’ Sources:

Good news stories contain links to other reputable reporting by respected organizations. They
contain interviews with individuals who can confirm or deny they made a claim. They are
supported by evidence, dates, and other data that can be fact-checked.
Be wary of sources that cannot substantiate their claims:

Sometimes a source may sound reputable in a piece, only for you to later find out no such
person exists. For example, the satire site Snickersee published an article about the return of
bottlenose dolphins to Lake Michigan. If you were not familiar with the site, at first glance
seemed legitimate, even going so far as to quote a scientist with the Great Lakes Fish and Water
Quality Society. However, no such scientist or organization exists, and dolphins have never
lived in the Great Lakes.

Fact Check:

When in doubt, check the fact of information that you read. You can start with a simple search
using the keywords or the event that is being reported. You can also use sites like PolitiFact,
FactCheck, and Snopes – which are incredibly reputable fact-checking sites for various issues
and topics (not just politics).

Examine The Website Closely:

It is essential not to look at one story alone but the full spectrum of details on the site Is there
another fake-looking or shocking headline? What does the overall website look like? How is the
user experience?

Sometimes doing a little further digging will make it evident if a news story is fake:

However, this can be tricky as many fake news sites intentionally mislead visitors. They may
look like the real deal, all the way down to the logo in the masthead. Just remember sites like
BBC.com or NYTimes.com have teams of web professionals on staff, including UX and UI
specialists. A reputable site is unlikely to be slow-loading, clunky, and cumbersome to use.
Likewise, glaring spelling or grammar mistakes, while not impossible, do not usually make it
through the proofing and editing process.

Check Wikipedia:

This may be surprising, but Wikipedia is an excellent source for identifying fake news sites. It
maintains an ever-growing list of fake news sites. This list includes sites like American News,
which have created disinformation shared via social media, as well as satire sites and those used
to spread malware.

Fact Check With Google:

To combat false information and aid fact-checkers, journalists, and researchers in their work,
Google added Fact Check Tools to its toolbox in 2022. This collection of more than 150,000
fact checks allows users to access information from “reputable publishers” around the world to
ensure integrity. To use this tool, enter a topic or person into the search bar. Google will then
pull information from its network of trusted publishers to give you at-a-glance fact-checking.

For example, despite rumors that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has invented a new digital currency,
Google Fact Check is easily able to squash this.

Put Technology To Work:

There are several digital tools you can employ to combat fake news. A list compiled by the
RAND Corporation, an American global policy think tank, includes several digital tools for
fighting online disinformation. These include everything from browser extensions like
BotSlayer, which helps track and detect information manipulated on Twitter, to verification and
bias checking tools like NewsCheck Trust Index, to collections of resources that promote media
literacy skills like NewseumED.

CONCLUSION

I believe that this article has provided the awareness of always being mindful of fake news and
how to also identify one.

REFERENCE

1. www.searchenginejournal.com/fake-news-vs-real-news. (Retrieved on 22nd