Fake News, the Achilles heel of information. How to spot them.

It happens more and more frequently to come across fake news that circulates quickly on social media. From attractive headlines to compelling content, the news seems to be taking hold of readers, influencing public opinion.

The goal of fake news is to increase clicks on pages, speculating on the success of sharing. However, there are also news items that contain true facts that are however exalted or manipulated, to the point of making others understand.

Whatever the origin of fake news, we must be very careful because they could have repercussions on the delicate sectors of politics, health, consumer choices.

Furthermore, they discredit professional journalism, which instead must strictly abide by the law of true and verified facts.

But how can you defend yourself from fake news? And above all how to recognize them?

There are some tricks, which if adopted, help to block the spread of the false news and above all not to fall into the trap. First of all it is useful to check the origin: the website, the info, the contact form, the mission page, bearing in mind that if the articles present are always of the same satirical or ironic circulation, then it is certain that it does not provide information.

You must also pay attention to the url, if the site ends for example with “.com” instead of “.com.co”, if it has a layout that at first glance seems reliable, if there are no vowels or consonates changed that allude to known brands of journalism, if it is signed by the author and this is identifiable, if they report sources or links that open, if the news also circulates in other newspapers, if the date of the news is current and not one reported years earlier, if it is present on one of those famous sites that deal with buffaloes.

Above all it is necessary to use common sense and have a critical spirit, before contributing to the circle of falsehoods. Regularly registered newspapers have legal as well as social responsibility for the reliability of news and images. Fake news enjoy the absence of a jurisdiction that punishes information pirates.

Although newspapers over time have had to adapt to the rules of speed on social media, sometimes sinning on the quality of the form, the guarantees of information governed ethically by the Order of Journalists and legally by the Consolidated Law on the duties of journalists where they are listed remain unchanged. the principles and duties, the ethical foundations and everything concerning the discipline and the crimes that can be identified in the behavior of the journalist.

The journalist is a profession, the information pirate is an abuse and an offense to the communication system.

Valeria Barbagallo

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