What Is Fake News And How Can You Identify It Using Your Critical Thinking Skills?

Introduction:

We as humans listen to the news on a daily basis. We also read newspapers, magazines and articles. Apart from this, radio, television and interviews are other key sources of news. There are two types of news and those are authentic news and fake news. We can define fake news as news that is untrue. It is false information that you can get your hands on. The prime focus of fake news is to damage the reputation of someone. Another reason behind fake news can be generating revenues through false advertisements. There are two more types of fake news. One that is not true and the second that have some truth but is not fully authentic. As a person, you should make sure that you are aware of the fact that news is authentic or fake. You should also make sure that you are not spreading fake news after listening to someone. You can also identify it after using critical thinking.

This article aims to discuss about fake news and how we can identify it. There are several ways that can help you to identify it. So, let’s discuss in detail:

How To Develop Critical Thinking?

Developing critical thinking plays an important role when you are identifying fake news. There are several ways that can help you to develop critical thinking. You should not believe everything that you are listening or reading. It is the very first step in developing critical thinking. You can encourage yourself to ask questions. It will help you to find the true story behind any news. Apart from this, you can research that news and you will know whether the news is true or fake. Later on, you can apply these steps when you are identifying fake news. Now, let’s discuss how critical thinking can help you identify fake news.

 

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  • Check The Source:

It is the PhD dissertation writing services firm’s very first point in critical thinking when you are identifying fake news. You should encourage yourself to know the source of news. If you are reading news whose source is unfamiliar to you, you should search for that source. It will help you to know whether that source is credible or not. You can take help from the internet and you will get to know about it. If there are spelling errors in the source name then you might suspect it. If there are strange-sounded extensions on the web page, you can again suspect the source. People can create false identities and web pages for spreading fake news. So, checking the source will help you know that it is fake news.

  • Check The Author:

It is another key critical thinking step for identifying fake news. If you are getting a story from an author who is unfamiliar to you, you should search for him. Again, you can take help from the internet and know a lot about him. When you are searching for him, you will get to know whether he is credible or not. Apart from this, you can access his previous work. It will also help you to know his credibility as an author. If he has a good reputation, you can trust him. You can also help yourself to know his expertise and working agenda. It will also help you to know the real motivation behind that story. Do not trust his work and story if you find him not so credible. If a credible website is publishing his work, even then you can doubt his work.

  • Check the Facts:

It is another key step when you are identifying fake news. The CEO of coursework writing services said that if the news is credible, an author will add facts and figures to support it. If you can look into some facts about that news, you can say it is authentic. If an author fails to provide facts about his news, you can suspect that there is something fishy. He can add stats and quotations to support his argument. If these things are missing then you can raise a question that why these are missing. You can check and cross verify the dates as it will also help you to know the truth. If dates are matching then you can believe he is telling a true story. Apart from this, you can check the publishing date. If the publishing date is different from the actual date, you should believe him.

  • Check Who Else Is Reporting That Story:

It is another key step that will help you know that the news is fake or authentic. When you are searching the author and sources, you should search this aspect too. There are a lot of media channels and news agencies that pick stories and report them. If any of the famous media channels is also reporting that story, you should believe. Apart from this, there are some key considerations that you should give thought to it. When you are accessing this aspect of the news, you should know the credibility of the reporter. If he is trained and professional, you should believe it. If the media channel is reporting that story but it is famous for biased opinions, you should not believe it. There are chances that one can make mistake but one cannot expect it from a leading media group. So, these are some of the key considerations that will help you to know the truth.

Conclusion:

Fake news is a type of news that is untrue or misleading. There are two types of fake news. One, it can be fully untrue and the second, it can be true but not 100% true. There are various reasons behind fake news. The prime reasons can be revenue generation or damaging the reputation. Critical thinking can help you to identify whether the news is fake or not. You can search for sources or authors. These things will help you know whether the news is fake or not. Apart from this, you can search for who else is supporting that story. If you get to know any credible source supporting that story, you should believe. Checking the facts can also help you know that the news is fake.