Jennifer Kozak
When skimming through social media, Canadians are exposed to misinformation and fake news.
In a survey of 25,229 internet users taken in June 2019 conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for Canada’s Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), it found 10 per cent of the 1,000 Canadian respondents said they had never fallen for fake news.
Another 52 per cent said while they have fallen for fake news, 33 per cent said it happened “sometimes” while five per cent said it happened “frequently.”
But there are ways Canadians can combat fake news.
Kelly Levson, director of Marketing and Research at News Media Canada, recommends Canadians follow an educational program called SPOT Fake News Online to empower Canadians to fight against fake news.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to notice fake news because of the tools that the people spreading misinformation are using are increasingly sophisticated. Our goal was to create a simple four-step tool to help Canadians spot fake news,” Levson said.
He said the campaign was created in 2019 to build citizens’ critical thinking, preparedness, and increase resiliency to disinformation by ensuring if the source is credible, determining if the perspective of the item is biased, whether other sources or new outlets are reporting it and if the story is timely.
Levon recommends Canadians take advantage of resources that help Canadians develop media literacy.
Humber News has created an infographic with tools and guidelines to help spot fake news.
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