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    • 5 Ways to Spot Political Misinformation Like a Pro
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    5 Ways to Spot Political Misinformation Like a Pro

    Pabio Posted on

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    From politically supported publications disguised as newspapers alarmist posts on social mediafake news targets voters every day.

    Experts say fake news spreads in two forms: misinformation and disinformation.

    The spread of misinformation is the result of misunderstandings or misinterpretations of facts, regardless of intentions, said Lindsay Grace, a communications professor at the University of Miami.

    On the other hand, misinformation is deliberately intended to mislead people, Grace said.

    “It has seeped into our democracy,” Grace said. “People produce disinformation to promote their own campaigns.”

    Both are difficult to spot. But just like learning how special effects in movies work, Grace said people can learn to spot political misinformation.

    The Public Inquirer asked three experts in identifying political misinformation what to look for and what tools to use.

    Ask yourself: who benefits from this information?

    Grace said people should always examine the motivations of the source behind the information.

    For example, articles written by organizations financed by a political party are likely to be biased.

    This is why people should ask themselves: who benefits and why?

    “Are they trying to promote a specific agenda and is that specific agenda benefiting them?” he said.

    RELATED: The Waukesha Times feels like a local news outlet. It is actually funded by conservative megadonors.

    What is the message or article trying to make you feel?

    Audrey McCabe heads the disinformation monitoring program at Common Cause, a government watchdog.

    When navigating what’s true and false online, McCabe said people should pay attention to the type of tone given in writing, especially in headlines.

    For example, a flashy headline that uses exclamation points or words to evoke outrage or fear is likely trying to grab readers’ attention, “not with facts, but with kind of sensational language,” she said.

    If you don’t know the source, don’t trust it

    It’s also telling that you can’t find the source of the information, said Eugene Kiely, director of the political fact-checking site. FactCheck.org.

    For example, legitimate news articles must credit specific journalists and include a way to contact the publisher.

    “If you don’t know the source of the information, you shouldn’t trust it,” Kiely said. “They need to prove to you that they are worthy of your trust.”

    Use the VIA method

    Grace recommends that readers use the VIA method, which means checking the verifiability, independence and accountability of an article.

    For example, Grace said, a story about Hurricane Milton is verifiable if the reporter cites the account of someone in Florida who experienced the hurricane themselves.

    Independence refers to a publication’s freedom from the influence of other parties, Grace said.

    “That’s why we disclose conflicts of interest, and that’s why we don’t let someone who is the CEO of an organization report on their performance,” Grace said.

    To verify whether a news publication is funded by a political party, the Tow Center maintains a list of partisan news sites and newspapers. here.

    Finally, accountability refers to whether the editor is responsible for their work, such as making corrections.

    Do not interact with posts spreading false information

    When false information is spotted, McCabe said you should never pursue it to avoid spreading the post. This is because social media platforms are designed to promote posts with the most interactions.

    “At the end of the day, that’s what they want,” she said. “They want clicks. They want views. And your angry reactions and comments will only make the problem worse.”

    Instead, report the post to the platform, she said.

    If it’s someone you know, McCabe recommends sending them a private message to kindly let them know why you think their post is false or misleading.

    Accidentally sharing these messages can happen to anyone, McCabe said.

    “We’ve all accidentally reiterated something that wasn’t true at some point,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s really endemic in the run-up to the election.”

    Practice spotting fake news

    Over the past three to five years, Grace combined her skills in interactive media and video game design to create news games to train players to spot fake news.

    For example, Grace posted the Factitious online game in 2020. Other games that help people learn media skills are available on Grace’s site, journalismgames.org.

    Kiely recommends Google’s fact-checking tool when checking items. The search engine results contain articles written by fact-checking organizations that participate in ClaimReview, a system created by the Duke Reporters’ Lab at Duke University.

    Quinn Clark is a public investigative journalist. It can be sent by email to [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark.

    Contact the public investigator

    Government corruption. Corporate wrongdoing. Consumer complaints. Medical scams. Public investigator is a new initiative from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and its sister newsrooms in Wisconsin. Our team wants to hear your advice, pursue leads, and uncover the truth. We will investigate anywhere in Wisconsin. Send your tips to [email protected] or call 414-319-9061. You can also submit tips to jsonline.com/tips.

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