In a world saturated with information, distinguishing between reliable and unreliable news sources has become a critical skill.
Based on Statistics Canada, 80 per cent of Canadians consume their news via online and digital platforms.
Statistics Canada also reported that those with a university degree are more likely than those with no university degree to use the internet, newspapers, and magazines to follow news and current affairs.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation has released new survey data indicating that 48 per cent of Canadians are not confident in their ability to distinguish between fake news and real news.
Differentiating opinions over factual and reliable news seems to be the biggest issue this generation faces with news consumption
Even in this digital era of journalism, people have to feel that they can trust what the media is putting out since it is the biggest news outlet for most consumers today. As a consumer, here are some ways you can ensure if the news you are consuming is legitimate or not.
1.Pay attention to the domain and URL
Established news outlets like CBC news typically own their domains and have a consistent appearance that is universally known.
popular domain suffixes include “.com,” “.net,” “.gov,” and “.org,” “.ca.” Examples of this include CTV news.ca, CBC. news.ca, The Globe and Mail.com, Toronto Star.com etc.
2.Read the “About us” section
Most websites will include a wealth of information about the news outlet, the corporation that owns it, members of the leadership, and the purpose and ethical statement of an organization.
Be wary if anything appears theatrical and exaggerated. You should also be able to find out more about the organization’s leaders in areas other than that website.
3. Look at the quotes in a story
Or rather, look at the lack of quotations. The majority of any news publication includes many sources in each story who are experts in the field with experience in the topics discussed.
Each quotation should serve a purpose, such as reveal a source’s character, describe or emphasize a point, or connect the story together. Essentially, quotes bring stories to life. The lack of quotes indicates the lack of newsworthiness and reliability.
4. Look at who said the quotes
See who said the quotes, and what they said. Are they a reputable source with a title that you can verify through a quick google search?
Shauna Rempel with 15 plus years of experience across digital, social, broadcast and print says that journalists need to make sure they have reliable sources to give quotes.
“To make sure they actually know what they are talking about, journalists should do a lot of research on the people they plan to interview ahead of time. Your time and the time of your readers shouldn’t be wasted on someone saying something that isn’t reliable.”
There are also transcripts for pretty much any interview published by established news organizations. Google the quotes. See what the story is about, who is addressing the story, and when it happened.
The same quotes will be referenced in other stories, and it will reference the original publication for source reliability.
5. Read the comments
If you get most of your news on social media, be wary of false and deceptive stories. Headlines are designed to catch the reader’s attention, but they should also correctly reflect the content of the news.
Writers frequently exaggerate headlines with the goal of deceiving, and then link stories that are about an entirely unrelated issue or simply not factual.
These articles frequently elicit a large number of comments on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. If a large number of these comments accuse the article of being false or deceptive, it most likely is.
Second year business and administration student, Lyndsay Dukharan, says that she uses social media to follow news channels so she can get the most accurate news in a convenient way.
“I’m on Twitter and Tik Tok all the time so I figured I should just follow news channels accounts like Global news, CP24, and CityNews Toronto to save time, and still receive news that is known to be legitimate.”
