Fake news representative image.
Credit: iStock Photo
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report for 2024 has highlighted that false information poses a paramount risk, and that India tops the list of countries at the highest risk of misinformation.
With the general elections coming up, the looming threat takes center stage. Metrolife spoke to fact-checkers and Internet experts to shed light on the process of verifying news.
Be wary of emotional language
It is imperative to stay away from WhatsApp messages that use emotional language, says Mohammed Zubair, co-founder, AltNews. “When you receive a forwarded message, don’t take it at face value, especially if it contains emotionally charged language. Such language is used to disguise misinformation. Many social media influencers and YouTubers are also doing it. Authentic news reports will stay away from such language that attempts to play on sentiments. Always run a Google search on forwarded messages,” he says.
Check images thoroughly
“Usually, people end up believing a piece of news if there’s a video or photo accompanying it. People should always be wary of such content, unless it’s from a well-known and credible news website. One way to check the authenticity of an image is to run a reverse image search on Google. This should take you to the original source,” advises Zubair. Also, pay attention to background details in the image. “You might notice details like signboards in a south Indian language for a video that claims to be from the north,” he adds.
Absence of references
Shammas Oliyath, co-founder of Check4Spam, highlights the importance of subjectivity. “A primary indicator of potentially incorrect news is the absence of authentic references — be it on social media or news websites. Also, pay attention to the language — check for sensitive words, typing errors and derogatory terms — and stay away from posts that are just trying to gain likes and views. For example, posts that say ‘Share for good luck’ and similar things,” he says. He advises public to be cautious of satirical websites. “Run a simple check for a disclaimer in the footer stating the satirical nature of the content. It is a clear signal to not consider the article as news,” he adds.
Local fact-checking
Pranav M Bidare, researcher, Centre for Internet and Society, recommends utilising local fact-checking websites for reliable information. “Trusted fact-checking portals like Snopes and Boom Live, or reputable news outlets are valuable tools to verify information. When encountering details on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), check comments for potential fact-checking discussions,” he says.
Don’t fall for clickbait
“Websites that usually meddle with information, often end up using headlines as a form of clickbait. When you click on it, you will find that the article has very little to do with the sensational headline,” says Pranav.
He suggests following the guidelines outlined by the Global Disinformation Index to assess the trustworthiness of news sources. “Like the headlines,
there are various indicators you can look out for, such as transparency about funding and error correction policies,” he adds.
Beware of AI
Pranav suggests running a check on both suspicious text and media. “There are free websites such as isirai.com that can help you figure out the authenticity of both text and pictures. But it gets tricky when videos are involved. Unusual expressions and changing facial hair are some visual clues you can look out for,” he adds.