STOP THE SPREAD!
By Zarina Charlesworth, Matthieu Delaloye, Shaban Shabani, Camille Pellaton, September 2020
Did you hear???? Did you see??? Be careful!!! Better do this!!! Don’t do that!!!
Whether your reaction is Oh cool, I’ll pass this information on to Oh no, I’d better let everyone know to Just forget it why not check to see the truth in it?
In the new normal of 2020 not only are we dealing with a pandemic but we are also experiencing an infodemic. In other words a massive overdose of information spreading virally, largely through social media channels and infecting many of us. Much of this information ranges from useless but relatively harmless to very dangerous with sometimes-fatal effects. The question being asked by a group of researchers at the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland // HES-SO is how to prevent the spread of such news in an effective, user-friendly manner.
Despite the availability of fact-checking services such as https://www.snopes.com/; https://www.politifact.com/; https://www.factcheck.org/ ; https://www.hoaxbuster.com/; http://www.hoaxkiller.fr/; research (Brandtzaeg & Folstad: 2017; Hendricks & Vestergaard: 2019), suggests that there is a high level of distrust for such services. Welcome then to the world of do-it-yourself fact-checking through the use of:
SAMS
SAMS, for Source, Author, Message, Spelling is a user-friendly responsive web application for fact-checking currently undergoing development to take it past the prototype stage. The app was developed in response to the April VersusVirus Hackathon https://www.versusvirus.ch/blog/sams and can be accessed here http://versusvirus.ig.he-arc.ch/. Due to the positive response, we have decided to take the project one-step further. The objectives are to have an app that will:
- help users to detect fake news;
- provide fact checking guidelines;
- recommend related trustworthy sources
As we work on the app we were hoping to arouse your interest and take you on this journey with us through regular blog posts related to fake news and fact-checking. The app will be available before year-end but in the meantime, here are some tips and tricks to help you better sort the real from the fake.
Source : Taking a critical look at the source, both in and of the news, is the first step.
What to check for :
- Where did the information originate (e.g. WHO World Health Organization)
- A reverse search confirms the source
- The web address is correct
- The « About us » section of the source media confirms reliability
- Sources referred to (a group of researchers vs. a named individual or institution)
- In-text references and quotes can be sourced
- Avoid anonymous sources
- How you got access to the information (on Facebook)
Author: Is the author a trusted source? Possibly journalist / news agency; government agency, etc…
What to check for :
- Author names mentioned
- Other references to the same author to confirm credibility
- Author’s professional affiliations, academic or professional credentials
- Other or related publications by the same author
Message: The message should be clear, balanced and unbiased.
What to check for :
- Unsupported or outrageous claims
- A push to share the information
- A lack of quotes, references or contributing sources
- Headlines that provoke strong emotions
- Ease of cross-checking in multiple & reputable sources
Spelling : Reputable sources will proofread material prior to publishing.
What to check for :
- Repeated spelling mistakes
- Poor grammar
- Incorrect punctuation
- Use of different fonts
- Entire words/phrases written in CAPITAL LETTERS
SITES WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://researchguides.ben.edu/fake-news/pandemic
https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=715025&p=5097957#s-lg-box-16063992