Whatever your beliefs are, most of us have been tricked by a fake news story. I think it's important to talk about red flags you can keep an eye out for.
Here are some questions you can ask that will train you to look for mis-information.
1. How does this piece of information/news make you feel?
*anger, fear and shock can be strong emotions, but humor can also be used to manipulate you.
2. Would you feel embarrassed to repeat this story/fact aloud to anyone you know?
* source check it. If other people you know might disagree with it strongly, or have a big reaction to it, that's your societal gut instinct telling you that something might be off.
3. Does this information match a bias or confirm your current worldview?
* If this information or story is particularly perfect in confirming your worldview, be cautious and see if there are other avaliable narratives.
4. Is the piece of information particularly contrary to the existing narrative?
* If this information is new and changes things in a big way, you should be source checking.
5. Who would benefit from this narrative? And what could their likely end goal be?
* is this person is concerned with getting their content out there for engagement on social media? Does this have a controversial or loop in a lot of people who strongly disagree or strongly agree? Are people very emotional about this?
If you are hitting the above red flags, please source check if you can. Yes, its a pain but its the best way to know for sure!
Much love folks :)
