Contemporary World Forum Essay

1. 1. What strategies can you use to distinguish between fake and factual information on the
internet?
The consumption of media has been pivotal in stimulating awareness in various milieus. As
globalization paved the way for media innovation, it led humanity to interact with each other in
cyberspace digitally. Concurrently, the information explosion phenomena are intensifying, for the
utilization of new media has significantly contributed to the increasing amount of published
information. Through this, it makes such information to be challenging to manage and increases the
fortuity to spread misinformation content on the internet platform. But how can we discern pieces of
information to be fake or legitimate? What strategies can we use to counter this occurrence?
Acting as a critical consumer of information is the first defense against problematic news sources
and misleading content (Georgacopoulos, Mores, & Trey Poché, 2020). Buchanan (2020)
stipulated that to mitigate the effects of incorrect information, people should try to reduce its
visibility by avoiding spreading false messages. As Fazio (2020) suggested, compelling people to
pause and think about the headlines of the content can reduce shares of erroneous information.
Furthermore, Brecth (2020) depicts that to identify the source's reliability, a person must consider
the information's author, accuracy, coverage, and currency. It is also essential to check that news
stories are based on facts rather than sharing them because they support one side of an argument
or bolster pre-existing political beliefs (Robins-Early, 2016).
As media users, we must make efficient judgments to prevent ourselves from being victimized by
transpiring illegitimate data. Having a critical mindset and detail-oriented thinking skills can be the
primary weapon in how we fight to take action against fake news. Moreover, contemplating the
information's main implication and content scope can help us avoid being the drivers of
disseminating fabricated reports. Relating to Brecth (2020), considering the author and the
publisher's credentials in the field of writing, the content's proper citation references, information
purpose and objectivity, and the timeliness of the literature can be the basis for evaluating media
sources efficiently. As confirmation bias tends people to advocate information aligned with their
beliefs, it is weighty to give attention to facts rather than unverified personal stances in writing and
propagating media content.
According to Adjin-Tettey (2021), Media Information Literacy is recommended to be incorporated
into mainstream educational modules and consistently revised to reflect the demands of the times.
MIL programs must also regard how to reach those without formal education effectively. Actors
within the information, communications, and media ecology must contribute to their quota in making
information consumers more discerning with the right MIL sensitization. At the same time, the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2018) also exhibited that strong
ethical journalism is needed as an alternative and antidote to the contamination of the information
environment and the spill-over effect of tarnishing news more broadly. Likewise, governments
should avoid crackdowns on the news media's ability to cover the news. Those activities limit
freedom of expression and hamper the ability of journalists to cover political developments (West,
2017). As well as this, a set of regulations or guidelines for using social media based on ethics and
awareness of cognitive biases are crucial to dealing with fake news (Britt, Rouet, Blaum, & Millis,
2019).
Integrating the essence of media information and literacy in educational and non-educational
contexts among people can be a productive way to acquire the fundamental abilities to determine
fake news and content deception. In addition, media consumers are not the only ones who should
prevent the escalation of misleading information. It should also focus on shifting the social
responsibility to malicious forces collaborating behind this circumstance to bring delusion to the
masses. The constituents of public communication, publications, and media must adhere to work
ethics and career values to deliver reliable information that can be utilized to fortify the
consciousness sphere across discrete facets of society. Meanwhile, governments must not abuse

2. their power, authority, and legitimacy to exploit media. Politicians should circumvent manipulating
information for self-interest and provoke a negative herd mentality in media users by making them a
group of trolls to afflict political events. Along with this, policies that are centralized on minimizing
the existence of fake content can be a sustainable solution to enforce the detriments of
misinformation.
As the new media may be convenient for us to browse information by availing of technological
advancements, let us be reminded that it has its dark sides. For instance, the widespread fallacious
content throughout the web has affected people's aptness to characterize authentic information.
Thus, we must know how to assess such factual data through deep discernment and
comprehension of the information presented. Establishing criteria such as analyzing the author's
accreditation, accuracy, coverage, and the currency of the content source must be emphasized to
implicitly improve a sense of being a responsible media user. In congruence with this, a collective
effort among people to aspire to be a vigilant consumers of media can create an enormous
difference in how we handle this issue.
As information explosion and interlinkage of networks are one of the consequences of globalization,
it is vital to possess a profound discernment in sharing information and content on social media.
Empowering media and information literacy can generally be beneficial in resisting the emergence
of fake news, for it assists us in gaining relevant knowledge about the concept of media usage and
online etiquette. It is also integral for influential people that administer the circulation of mass
information to comply with ethical service standards to prevent leaking specious content in
cyberspace. Henceforth, partaking in battling hoaxed news is humanity's obligation to avoid
misinterpreting media content, which may generate conflicting outcomes through enacting mass
diffusion of phony sources across the internet.

3. References
Adjin-Tettey , T. D. (2022). Combating fake news, disinformation, and misinformation: Experimental
evidence for media literacy education. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 9(1).
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2022.2037229
Brecht, A. (2020, April 13). How to identify reliable information. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from
https://www.stevenson.edu/online/about-us/news/how-to-identify-reliable-information
Britt, M. A., Rouet, J. F., Blaum, D., & Millis, K. (2019). A Reasoned Approach to Dealing With Fake
News. Policy Insights From the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(1), 94–101.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732218814855
Buchanan, T. (2020, December 18). How to reduce the spread of fake news – by doing nothing.
Retrieved September 7, 2022, from
https://theconversation.com/how-to-reduce-the-spread-of-fake-news-by-doing-nothing-1520
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Fazio, L. K. (2020). Pausing to consider why a headline is true or false can help reduce the sharing
of false news. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-009
Georgacopoulos, C., Mores, G., & Poché , T. (2020, August). Fight fake news . Retrieved
September 7, 2022, from
https://faculty.lsu.edu/fakenews/protect_yourself/fight-fake-news.php
Robins-Early, N. (2016, November 27). How to recognize a fake news story. Retrieved September
7, 2022, from
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fake-news-guide-facebook_n_5831c6aae4b058ce7aaba169
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2018). Journalism, fake news &
disinformation. Retrieved from
https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/journalism_fake_news_disinformation_print_friendly
_0.pdf
West, D. M. (2022, March 9). How to combat fake news and disinformation. Retrieved September 7,
2022, from
https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-combat-fake-news-and-disinformation/