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Find fake news in social mediaBy Lauren AndrewsThe danger is everywhere, increasing each day at an alarming rate. No one is safe from this villainous presence. It has taken over every platform of social media, leaving no one out of its trap. This monster does not discriminate. It attacks with precision and seems to be successful in its endeavours often. The culprit described above is Fake News on social media.The trap is simple to fall into. An article catches one’s eye and he decides to take a look into its contents. What is the harm? The article is chock full of interesting information, all new to said reader’s eyes. As he scans through the article, he stumbles upon a bit that, although it caught his eye initially, has now caused him some form of angst. He does not like what he has read. This cannot be true. The reader is puzzled, with a fury of emotions bubbling within him. What does he do now? What any logical person would do, of course. He shares the content with the people he is concerned for, the people on his social media. Without taking a second look at the article. No further research, no questions asked about the article’s authenticity. What is the need for that? It is a news source, right? Right?The assumption that all news found on social media is reliable is a dangerous one to make. It can cause oneself and those around him to suffer for no actual reason besides the fact that one person thought it would be humorous to conjure up a story about a relevant topic with no actual facts within the article. But, the article is just that: a story. Nothing more. Even if there may be a few facts presented within the article, this might only supply readers with more reason to trust the author. Placing one’s trust in a random author on the internet is a risky move to make, regardless of what is presented in the article. This risk can easily be reduced, however, by utilizing the simple process of “fact-checking.” By looking beyond one questionable article found on social media, one can put himself at a grand advantage to the false authors across social media“There have been times where I have seen an article on social media and believed, initially, that it was true,” Senior Morgan Foss said. “One time I saw an article that said that a celebrity had died. I believed it at first, and freaked out. After reading it, I was prompted by my conscience to do some further research, and sure enough, there was another website stating that this article was simply a hoax.”It is imperative to remember who the truly reliable sources are in this fraud-filled day and age. Being one of these reliable sources is Matt Hoye’s job. Hoye is a CNN Supervising Producer who is stationed at the White House, and he knows first-hand the effects that “Fake News” can have on a person. “There’s some dangerous parts to my job now,” Hoye said. “For example, CNN and other credible news stations that people would look to for news have become a target. They are called out a lot. It’s definitely changed the way people view us, there’s a lot more hostility towards us when we go to rallies. People scream at us and call us a lot worse things than ‘fake news.’”Despite the continuous accusations of being affiliated with “Fake News,” Hoye does still enjoy his job very much, declaring he will stop doing it once it “stops being fun.”Although “Fake News” does exist, or rather thrive, on social media, its existence in the “big” official news stations is simply a false claim. “Fake News” is not real. Fake articles, “troll” authors, and false claims presented on social media platforms have all reared their menacing faces at the public before, but credible news sources do not seek out false news to share to the public, nor do they conjure up stories to cause a panic or a lack of trust among the media.“Social media has definitely influenced how news spreads to people and increased the chances of a claim of fake news surfacing,” Hoye said. “Now you can make a comment and it can be completely misconstrued or taken out of context and thrown out all over the internet. It takes ten seconds to spread a lie or misinformation across the world, but it will take a decade to try to disprove it.”“Fake News” has been an issue for decades. It’s a topic of discussion that the population tends to slip into daily conversation, but it has definitely had a recent surge in its relevance. The question of “why” may be addressed by the fact that the last presidential election was filled to the brim with various claims of “Fake News.” Candidates were accused of things that were untrue, but the claims were left unquestioned and uninvestigated by voters. This may have affected the way in which the election played out and resulted. President Donald Trump has continued to point fingers at various stations, declaring “this story to be false” and “that story is definitely fake news” throughout his time in office. People often attempt to label things they do not like or agree with to be untrue, so this may be an explanation of Trump’s recurring theme of calling out stations as being “Fake News.” “Fake news is a tool. The president uses it as such for any story he does not like about himself or the administration. These stories that are factual, and when they come out and he calls them ‘fake news’ it’s like no, this is real, and there is evidence to back it up,” Hoye said.While the existence of “Fake News” is a falsehood, the fact that it is an increasing topic in America, and other countries as well, is not. The belief in “Fake News” is as much of a problem as its existence would be, as it encourages people to not trust what news stations report. As “Fake News” becomes a more often discussed “issue” in America, the risks that accompany it raise as well. The belief in “Fake News” leads to uninformed citizens, and uninformed citizens leads to chaos and abrasive relationships among citizens within a country. The state which America, and numerous other countries, rests in could easily become worsened if politicians continue to support the claim that “Fake News” is alive and well. “There is this incredible misinformation campaign that is being waged by other countries, including Russia, that we have done a lot of reporting on. There are many factories of twitter users in Russia that are planting fake news stories, and it makes it incredibly difficult to debunk this when the President of the United States refuses to call out these people, or if it takes him a year to do so,” Hoye said. “If the president starts to defend these people who create this fake news and their rights which they have, people begin to believe the fake sources.” While young people tend to enjoy believing that the older generations are responsible for making the changes happen and voting, this is not at all the case. The more informed one becomes at a younger age, the more likely he will be to make the correct decisions when the time comes for him to vote. One is never too young to become properly informed on the correct methods of being a well-informed individual and understanding where to find credible information. In fact, it is even more important for young adults and teenagers to care about what is done now, as it will one day be their responsibility to be aware of all that is happening in the country. It is their future, and therefore immensely important that they are aware of what is true and untrue.“If you’re people who don’t vote, you don’t get a voice. You don’t change things if you don’t participate,” Hoye said. “That’s the message politicians have to get across to people: if you want to change the direction of the country you have to be an active citizen, and that means voting.”The importance of understanding one’s environment and being aware of what is going on in the world is most definitely not limited to the minds of adults. It is a duty for all citizens, regardless of factors such as age. Being an informed citizen will lead to a more successful and peaceful future for both America and other countries who are falling victim to the epidemic of “Fake News.” Do not succumb to the false beliefs preached by those on social media or on television simply because they “should be” reliable or hold authority. Do the research and discover credible sources, it is more beneficial than one may be led to believe. ................
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