Hey there, incredibly smart, well-read and, dare I say, really good-looking person reading this article… I’ve got a question for you: Are you reading this article on Facebook?
There are no wrong answers to this question. If you answered “no” and are reading an actual hard-copy newspaper with my smug mugshot pasted right there on the page in real ink, congratulations on doing your part to stay informed and keep the venerable print newspaper industry up and running. Feel free to pat yourself on the back, call your wife or husband or dog into your breakfast nook and declare, “This smug chap makes a great point – he says I’m really good-looking.”
If, however, you answered “yes” and indeed arrived at this article through Facebook — posted right below a photo you wish you could un-see of your aunt in Las Vegas and above a video of a farting hippo — then you are like hundreds of millions of people who are getting much of their daily news from this addictive and easy-to-use service.
So here comes another question, for the Facebook crew and everyone else as well: How do you know that I’m a genuine person and not some lying sack of Trump?
For those of you reading The Tri-City News in print form at home, there’s a decent chance you’ve been getting the paper for years, maybe you’ve met a reporter or ad sales rep, you’ve used the pages to line your green bin. In other words, you know this paper and trust it to keep you informed about your community and to keep your floor free of coffee grounds.
If, however, this article popped up on your Facebook feed, you may have a much more tenuous connection to the source of these words.
And it’s more important than ever that you take the time to verify what you are reading online, including articles that are being talked about by your “friends” on Facebook.
Why? Because many, many, many of the articles on Facebook are pure, 100% garbage. They’re fake, in that they are written by real people who probably are not who they say they are and who have no interest in writing something that is true, but they are interested in making money by getting you to click on the junk they produce. These “writers” certainly don’t care if what you are reading is true, and neither does Facebook.
BuzzFeed News analyzed Facebook use in the lead-up to the U.S. election and found that the 20 top-performing fake election stories — all completely fabricated — generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions and comments. That is one million more than the 20 top-performing real election stories from mainstream media sites.
BuzzFeed News also reported on a group of teens in a little town in Macedonia who spent the last few months making a fortune posting fake pro-Trump stories on Facebook. And yes, I do get the irony in citing something called BuzzFeed News in my plea for truth in media.
Anyway, here’s how you can avoid being duped, if you’re actually interested in such a thing. If you have any doubt about something you’re reading, remember these three little letters: WTF. (No, not that WTF.) Simply ask yourself this: Where’s this from? Find the source. Is it real? Can you trust it? Do a sniff test — if it looks like lobster ravioli but smells like a Macedonian teen, squirt your eyes with Febreze and take another hard look.
As global events have shown us over the past month, a little misinformation can go a long way, and a lot of misinformation can go to the ends of the Earth. Literally, perhaps.
Andy Prest is sports editor of the North Shore News and writes a lifestyle column.
@Sports_Andy
