What is Misinformation and How Can You Spot It?

Misinformation in the news is a disease that's spreading at an alarming rate. Of course, famous figures like Donald Trump have made the term "fake news" quite popular, to the point where it's become more of a buzzword for anything that a party or parties don't agree with it, but the actual issue goes much deeper than any politician would ever have you believe because, well, they benefit from it too.

Oxford defines 'misinformation' as "the intentional dissemination of false or misleading information," or more simply, the intentional creation and sharing of things that simply aren't true, whether to serve an agenda or simply to stir chaos.

Misinformation has made a home in the realm of social media, particularly Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook, likely due to the fact that these sites have little to no content moderation (at least as it pertains to false information), but profit from users interacting with content they either agree with or abhorrently disagree with.

Simply, social media sites make money by showing you things you want to see, but that doesn't make any of them true.

AI is often used to create these headlines, articles, or infographics, so it's crucial to be able to, first and foremost, know if you're reading an article written by a human or a machine. If you're unsure, click the "Spotting AI" tab above to learn more.

The largest medium in which misinformation is spread, though, isn't through external links; instead, photos and infographics are the leading source of faulty information, per a 2022 study conducted by Texas A&M. People don't often click external links when scrolling, but they're sure to read and process something with political or any other kind of significance to them.

Worse, people often take the words of organizations perpetrating false information (who, by the way, consist of less than 1% of social media accounts), and proceed to share or repost them for their friends to see. This creates a dangerous ethos, in that friends and family are much more likely to believe something that has been shared to them by someone they know.

This is why, according to many experts, misinformation often spreads faster than real information. It's usually content that comes across as shocking or alarming (intentionally so), served to you by an algorithm that knows what you like, your opinions and tastes.

So, how do you avoid and spot misinformation?

Thankfully, it's actually surprisingly simple. Digital literacy experts have pioneered a method for spotting false information, and they were kind enough to share it with the BBC.

They call it the 'SIFT' technique, and it's taught in journalism schools worldwide, as well as in many digital literacy programs and classes. Let me break it down for you.

"S" - STOP

This one's pretty simple. If you see something that's shocking, or you feel the world needs to see it, take a breath and reread it a few times. Often, you can spot misinformation just by taking a closer look and comparing the content with what you already know.

"I" - INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE

As mentioned before, there are plenty of reputable news outlets, and the accounts intentionally perpetuating misinformation make up less than 1% of accounts. Take a moment to examine exactly who is posting the content.

If your friend's grandmother Marge says she found out that aliens are just outside the atmosphere and are waiting to invade, you probably wouldn't take her word for it, right? She's a very sweet lady, but not exactly the herald of breaking news.

Now, if the BBC covered the same event, you'd be much more likely to believe them because, well, they wouldn't break a story like that without knowing for certain it was true. Plus, it'd be all over every news source on the planet, so you'd have multiple sources to check, which leads us nicely into the next point.

A note for my American readers: American news outlets are famously untrustworthy. Channels like FOX, CNN, and others often have significant political bias as it relates to news, leading to a much less noticeable spread of misinformation. Take any politically-charged information with a grain of salt until you can verify the facts for yourself.

"F" - FIND BETTER COVERAGE

Significant events almost always have multiple outlets covering the story. If you see a post on Instagram, for example, that doesn't seem to come from a reputable source, it's wise to double-check the facts of the post, infographic, or quote with other outlets.

It doesn't need to be a full forensic examination, either; a simple Google search of the topic often yields a plethora of information on any given topic. If you look up a topic you saw on social media and there are no reputable sources, it's probably not true.

This doesn't necessarily extend to claims made by unverified sources, either; you can (and probably should) fact-check anything, it's the beauty of the modern internet. Any significant news is likely to be misreported to some extent, whether intentionally or otherwise, so it's always wise to double-check anything of significance.

A note for my American readers, again: There are a vast number of sites dedicated to eliminating bias in news, particularly politically. My personal favorites are Allsides.com and Ground.news, both of which provide the topic as well as articles from right, left, and center-leaning sites for comparison.

"T" - TRACE THE CLAIM TO ORIGINAL CONTEXT

Ideally, you'd have already done this in the "Find Better Coverage" step, but it's a sharp reminder that Google prioritizes articles that are doing well, including articles that spread misinformation. The first link you see may not be reporting the topic correctly, so it'd be wise to try to find the root of the story, rather than just reading what potentially biased journalists have to say.

The good news is that many articles will link directly to the original material, whether an interview, a government report, or even a sports trade, so it's quite easy to find the original.

If all else fails, and you remember nothing from this, keep a healthy skepticism and remember the Golden Rule of the Internet: "Don't believe everything you read."