Most websites known for publishing fake news do not disclose such important information on their websites. They’re mostly known to be hiding their identity in efforts to deceive naïve internet users. It’s very important to investigate brands even for those with disclosed “about” or “contact” sections. The authentic brands; like the BBC, Fox, NBC among other trusted news outlets do display their real corporate identity, unlike the fake news online broadcasters.
Read beyond the headlines
Headlines can be mischievously crafted in an attempt to get readers’ attention and even drive them to follow the same. Don’t ignore the whole story, dive deeper to ascertain the facts. Read the whole story, get a clearer picture of the content portrayed in the article. Some articles can be well crafted to seem real but only, in the end, will a user know what it really is.
It can just be outrageous from the headline or even a few paragraphs away from the introduction unless you read to the very end. In the end, the author may end up telling you the story is just a dream, satirical or just a “make-believe”. If it’s a video, be sure to watch it to the very end. Never share any story of which you are not familiar with the ending or conclusion.
The inexperienced internet users always believe what they find on the internet at first sight without making sure of the facts!
PHILEMON O’ARPELLEH
Consider the Author
The next big question is, “Who authored this?”. Is the author section displaying a real name or just something, like ” Admin”, or some WebsiteStaff, an “Editor” or any other thing which makes it very difficult to learn more about the author? If the name of the author is not clearly written, then that’s a red signal. What if the author is clearly named?
In this case, find out if they are really who they claim to be or it’s just another name to deceive. Do a quick search on the author to see if they are credible. Are they well-known for publishing relevant articles? Do others know them? Have they been featured in another credible outlet? A quick search on the author will help you ascertain the facts and know where the news came from.
Check the supporting sources
For the sake of credibility, most news content may link to other sources where further information was obtained. If you stumble upon any source of information that adds up to what you are reading, don’t ignore the same. If there are links to extra information, follow the link and check out for the facts. This will help you determine whether the supporting sources are really supporting.
Sometimes some fake news outlets may deceive readers into believing that they are reading authentic information by linking to unexisting articles. They may mention credible sources where the information mentioned may not even come from. In other cases, they can create a tweak in the original information in an attempt to deceive readers. There are instances where sources may be linked to existing content which may have little or no significance to current issues in the news. You should always be careful with news sources.
Consider the date
It’s likely what you’re reading is old stuff which has just been reposted to deceive you into accepting a piece of old news as a current issue. It’s very common to see authors mention very old articles which are irrelevant to current events and this can go very long walks to deceive readers into believing claims that are just another piece of crap. Don’t fall for such baits. (continue reading the rest of this article on the next page)
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