While the internet is predominantly a force for good, it also is the perfect medium for fake news to go viral. That potential — and how to combat it — was the subject of a seminar Tuesday of the Southeast Kansas Library System.
“The internet makes it easy to spread false information,” SKLS consultant Kim Rutter said. “It is not an encyclopedia, because research needs to be done.”
Thirty-one regional librarians and library board members attended the session at Iola Public Library.
Director Roger Carswell, Snopes managing editor Brooke Binkowski and Pittsburg State University outreach librarian Jorge Leon all gave presentations on how to check the facts.
Binowski talked with the audience via Skype from San Diego, Calif. Snopes.com is an internet site that checks rumors. It has a team of 14.
“We deal with tangible truths as much as we can because that’s all we can go on,” Binkowski said. “We strongly believe that without agreeing on basic facts, we can’t have a democracy and public discourse.”
Binkowski said an editorial board decides on which rumors to research.
One of the more absurd stories was when people on Twitter claimed President Barack Obama was in office during Hurricane Katrina. Snopes confirmed Obama was in office from 2009-2017 and the 2005 hurricane occurred during the tenure of George W. Bush.
Context and background are also important elements, Binkowski said. People often take something to fit their narrative.
“If you have information without any context attached with it, you get conspiracy theories of information with people cherry picking it,” Binkowski said. “It’s in their nature. You will get persistent and extremely pernicious rumors and false information. Then you get into a situation where we talk about fake news all the time. We try to step in with a starting point with research and putting things into context as much as we can. I tend to see everything in these larger patterns, but I strongly believe in the power of journalism and see us contributing to that effort.”
Binkowski said rumors and false information become dangerous when played out on the world stage. She said foreign policy, geopolitics, lives and relationships have been affected as a result.
Social media plays a big part part in fanning the flames over controversial topics. Carswell said how a few stories are even headlined to make someone angry, drawing an emotional response.
“Confirmation bias is one of the biggest things we have to fight,” Carswell said.
While on social media, Carswell said search results or even someone’s Facebook timeline is tailored to fit what is in an individual’s interest. A recent study also showed how Google tailors its search results based on browsing history and location, despite searching the same word as someone else.
Leon advised the librarians and trustees to do due diligence when helping patrons seeking information. He brought up how the current generation is prone to want shorter articles and rely on their Smartphones or social media for their news.
Attendees were given a handout sheet on how to spot fake news and counter rumors. Everyone was advised to look at the source of a story to authenticate any reports.
WHILE fake news continues to surround the world with misinformation and confusing details, Binkowski appreciates those who do the research to clarify information.
“I feel that conceptualized journalism has a strong role in what we end up building to inoculate this disinformation,” Binkowski said. “Nobody should have to do it, journalists should do it. It should be our job to point us in the right direction. I see it as a public service and I think that’s been lost somewhere in the weeds.”
