The View – Tower West – August 2021

Fiction or Fact, which is it? - by Raj S. Rangarajan

How much of what we read should we believe? How much of what we read is really true? Is there empirical evidence or factual confirmation that what we read is true? How do we know if something is fake?

 

These are some of the questions rational readers should be ask-ing these days, specially because of the amount of misinfor-mation, disinformation and mal-information being propagated in social media and in the guise of “news.” 

In some parts of the world, unchecked data are being spread in the name of Covid-19. They are seen particularly now in view of the Covid-19 Delta variant and the recently-named Lambda Covid-19 variant. All this tends to disturb one’s sense of well-being. 

According to the Council of Europe’s Information Disorder Report and further elaborated on by management consultant, Mike Kujawski (Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing), Mis-information is information that is false, but not necessarily created to harm, such as someone mistakenly posting material out of date. Dis-information is information that is patently false and deliberately created to harm a person, a group, or say, a business. Mal-information could be information based on nuanced reality intended to create harm or hatred often seen in political or agenda-driven scenarios domestically or internationally. 

Al Tompkins, Senior broadcast journalist at Mediawise, a nonprofit, digital initiative, teaches us how to sort out fact from fiction. “Always ask: Who’s behind the information?, Why are they telling me this?, Who paid for this?” 

Unfortunately, we are inundated with sites that revel in misleading us. As unwitting members of the digital community, it is imperative that we ferret out fact from fiction, check what is trustworthy and what is not. Alex Mahadevan, senior multimedia reporter at Mediawise, cautions: “the pitfalls of sharing misinformation could be detrimental if one is not watchful”. 

Be skeptical, but don’t be cynical 

With social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok and others becoming primary vehicles of communication for many, we have to be particularly aware. We should be concerned about what is uploaded and disseminated 

While some of the forwards from YouTube or WhatsApp are perhaps humorous, we’ve to be alert and not let down our guard. We hear of folks signing up for websites without realizing that they have been duped. Often, there is no recourse! 

At times, someone in the family or perhaps a friend alerts you to a juicy story on the daily news or on social media. The item appears so believable, but is it true? How many of us really have the time, the inclination or the resources to investigate a story? 

Some indulge in the vicarious pleasure of being the first to inform others – of an outrageous rumor or a story; but without confirming that it is a reliable source, thus unconsciously spreading dubious information or images or gossip that is untrue. 

It is a given that today school kids and teens are savvier than seniors. It is normal these days for younger folk to help out technologically. Whether we have adults and kids in the same household or not, we have to be particularly vigilant because of the incredible amount of bizarre and wild stories that populate our airwaves. 

It behooves us to examine if a particular news item is true. We also bear the added responsibility and perhaps even an obligation to ensure that wrong information is not passed on to the gullible. 

Hence some cautionary notes: Investigate the source of the information: Why was it being sent? Do you know the sender? Even if a friend or a relative or a friend’s friend, be alert! One never knows. Better to be safe than sorry! 

In the U.S., we now have a whole bunch of fact-checking sites that are exclusively devoted to debunking false information. Here are some resources for ready reference: https://www.poynter.org; https://www.politifact.com; https:// www.snopes.com; https://spotfakenews.info.