Facebook Publishes Tips to Spot Fake News

[engine]

Facebook has published a document detailing tips to spot fake news.

One of the most obvious is, "Be skeptical of headlines"

It also suggest doing your own research. I find that one of the most unlikely things that people will do as they don't have time and often simply copy and retweet and share, etc., without reading the article.

[facebook.com...]

[keyplyr]

I saw that. It appeared to be putting the burden on the user and not the source.

[engine]

Exactly my thinking.
I would have thought it was all obvious, but then, perhaps not to the younger people that have grown up knowing nothing else but FB.
It's also the possibility they are protecting themselves. In other words, "we told you so."

[Marshall]

Too many people believe "If it's on the internet, it must be true." Until you solve that problem, no help from Facebook or any other source is going to make a difference.

[keyplyr]

There's also many that adamantly disbelieve anything on the internet and will only get their "info" from sources within their belief bubble (talk radio, church, friends, etc)

[koan]

I know some people seem to think that not being perfect in every way is just as bad as being fake and agenda driven, but I keep it simple by getting my news from media sources with a solid international reputation in journalism. Ain't nobody got time for more than that, and certainly not for fringe conspiracy stuff.

[tangor]

Degrees from the School of Commonsense and Hard Experience should be required to read the news. All others need not apply.

Sadly, both parents and educational institutions have failed over the last few decades to install a healthy bit of skepticism in the young sprouts who are so easily deceived or aggrieved by microaggressions fostered by progressive education.

However, as early as Andy Jackson it has been proved in politics (American) that a lie told often enough becomes the truth.

But whose?

1984 (written in 1948) is coming closer to reality for the masses than ever before. We do live in interesting times.

[keyplyr]

Removing History from classrooms across the US didn't help.

[tangor]

Facebook's "Tips for spotting fake news"

Be skeptical of headlines
Look closely at the URL
Investigate the source
Watch for unusual formatting
Consider the photos
Inspect the dates
Check the evidence
Look at other reports
Is the story a joke?
Some stories are intentionally false

Subtly and inexorably, Facebook passes burden of determining the truth to the reader. The reader must now "check the author's sources to confirm that they are accurate" (No.7). Yes, you'll need your own contacts at the Home Office now. Or maybe you know somebody who knows somebody at the State Department? Surely you can conduct your own lab experiments, too? Do you have a server farm handy for some Big Data analytics? OF course you do.

[theregister.co.uk...]

Puts the onus on the reader, but the grand fight against fake news must continue, right?

[edited by: not2easy at 11:57 pm (utc) on May 8, 2017]
[edit reason] merge cleanup [/edit]