With the advent of technology and how things are changing right now, the news is one-click away. Television, radio, newspaper, magazine, and the easiest – social media, are the media where information can be disseminated across the nation and even international. Almost everyone right now has access to the internet and possesses cellular gadgets, and has their own accounts on social media platforms. According to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Station in the first quarter of 2019, there are an estimated 13.9 million adult Filipinos who use Facebook for reading the news.
Anyone can be a victim. Regardless of your age and how careful you are, there is always that one time when you believed and deceived by false news. Nevertheless, it is no issue to be cautious more than usual. In fact, according to ASEAN, 60% of social media users are concerned about how legitimate the news is on the internet.
Moreover, we formulated a series of questions for the readers to be asked to themselves for reading news in such outlets.
"Is this page credible?"
Always check the page where the news originated. Take time to scroll or check if the site is credible enough for delivering news. One way of this is to read reviews about the page. The other way is to read respectable and certified pages and do some cross-checking. In that way, you can do some fact review to guarantee its legitimacy.
"Does this page has enough sources?"
Social media is different from televised programs when delivering news. Television news channels show real footage from the scene, whereas social media, sometimes, do not have supporting evidence (actual photos and the likes) when posting articles. Usually, sources are located in the lower part of the article. If sources are lacking and there neither footage nor documentation, then it is advisable to find another site.
"What is the purpose of this news?"
Biases are everywhere. It is one of the critical questions you should ask yourself when reading the news. There are observable patterns in knowing whether the page is biased or not. Dissent is common especially in politically inclined news. To guarantee, it is advised to do some back read of their past posts and see to it that they are not only showing one part. Remember, there is always another side of the coin.
It is no doubt that news is important with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Give all news that came across your newsfeed the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, this may lead to brainwashing and ignorance. Do cross-check before believing and be careful with what you share.
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