The issue of “fake news” and unreliable sources has become relevant in regards to everyday social media usage. A family member can share an article which aligns with their political views, and assume it to be true because the author shares their thoughts on an issue. Such mundane status updates or tweets can seem harmless when you notice them for what they are. But, no one can calculate the exact amount of harm they might cause.
Rather than unfriend or ignore such people, those of us who recognize the error of such posts should be willing to start a dialogue about the problem. Everyone wants unbiased, honest journalism that doesn’t take sides, no matter how controversial the topic matter. We should point out to those who share false political stories or propaganda pieces that they are joining into something that is contrary to this mentality. Rather than posting unbiased news, they are posting news that they tend to agree with and have a specific point through sharing. For them to understand this dilemma, we should give an example of the situation by altering the political views of a person sharing news so that their beliefs do not match their own. This can spark self-awareness and allow space for them to process their own actions.
After giving room for this thought to cross their mind, we should expand to how this can affect the impact a story has. Rather than sharing an urgent, real world story with their family and friends on Facebook or Twitter with good intentions to help educate others, they are posting something that might spread a false perception of reality. Whether or not it is in align with the specific person’s political preferences, they should come to understand their means of educating others is based in an inauthentic article.
The lack of credibility in the shared piece reflects on the person, which puts their own ideas into question. If they truly believe in a political figure or a law, or any political matter, they should be willing to find credible pieces that they likely believe are available somewhere. Rather than using questionable sources, they should be encouraged to pursue credible publishers.
