(GMG) – We’re now living in an age in which, every time you open your laptop, sign into Facebook or load your email, you could be exposed to fake news.
But how do you know what’s considered fake? Is the article you’re reading just heavily biased -- as in, perhaps from a personal blog or an organization with an agenda? Or is it FAKE fake, meaning, it’s satire or from a completely bogus website?
There’s a lot to consider.
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to protect yourself from fake news and to remain skeptical of the things you’re reading online. You don’t want to become part of the problem and start “sharing” news that, well, isn’t. Because then it’s not just those particular websites that are dishonest and untrustworthy. You become untrustworthy, too.
Let’s start here: By taking action in your personal social media. Do you Like or Follow us on Facebook?
Look for our name, “WJXT4 The Local Station / News4JAX” in the search bar, and then add us. You’ll want your trusted local news source at the top of your News Feed.
And then mark us for priority treatment, so that you don't miss a thing. Here’s how to do that:
- Go to our page.
- Tap or click on the "Following" tab, in the upper left area of your screen.
- Make sure your preferences say “See first” under the section called "In your News Feed."
- Make sure your preferences are switched to “On” for Notifications. This will allow you to be alerted if we post an event or hop online for a Facebook Live session.
Here’s what it should look like:
When it comes to reading news online, we want you to hear it, or take it, from us.
"As Northeast Florida's most visited online news site, News4Jax is committed to accurately and fairly covering all aspects of our community," digital managing editor Steve Patrick said. "Without the time constrains of our television co-workers, we try to include more detail and context to help our readers understand complex or controversial stories. Add in the ability to interact with and share our content, we hope to be a catalyst to elevate the conversation about issues important to our residents, our city and our nation."
We don’t have an agenda. We just want to share the facts and help keep you and your family safe and informed. And we’re owned by Graham Media Group, not one of the major networks.
The people inside our newsroom share your community. We could be your neighbors. We don’t have secret meetings over what to cover up and what to reveal, or how to write our news in a way that influences your beliefs. But we do hit the streets, talking to people like you, as well as to community leaders, police and spokespeople. Plus we have the I-TEAM doing our own digging deeper into the bigger stories. We share what we learn every day, in the hope of making your lives easier.
And although initial reports can shift -- often because information from the scene can change, such as when a fire that was originally reported to be covering 15 acres might have grown to cover 50 acres by the time our crew arrives -- that’s just the nature of the business. We stand by our work.
There’s a big difference between early information or tentative reports and “fake news.”
You have to ask yourself the following questions in determining what’s real versus what’s not: What's the source of the publication? Where is the information coming from? Do you know other information from this source, and is it reliable? Who is behind the site? Is it sponsored by some sort of a political organization or a group that you've never heard of? What does the URL say?
Or, if you’re perusing your Facebook news feed, consider the source before hitting that “share” button. Which of your friends put this out there? Why?
The moral of the story is: It’s important to be skeptical online. Pictures can be doctored. A personal blog can look like the website for a major news organization. Information can spread quickly in cases such as a major weather event.
But when you start by using News4Jax as your go-to source, you don’t have to worry about us. We’re here to make your lives easier -- one story at a time.