Why You Should be Worried About Fake News – And How You Can Fight It

Molly Strong writes:

While fake content has circulated in tabloids and on the internet for years, the 2016 election has given us a reason to take it seriously. Stories about the Clintons selling weapons to ISIS and Trump winning the popular vote (he didn’t) spread like wildfire, and in some cases outperformed real news.

The false narrative that Pope Francis endorsed Trump garnered a staggering 960,000 engagements on Facebook, more than the Washington Post’s in-depth, non-hoax exploration of Trump’s failed businesses. While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the impact of fake news on shaping hearts and minds, studies validate that what we see in social media influences our moods and perceptions.

Moreover, according to a new Pew Survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, 23 percent of Americans say they have shared a fake news story – many knowingly. More troubling? Most teens can’t spot fake news.

According to a Stanford University study, 82 percent of middle schoolers couldn’t distinguish between an ad labeled “sponsored content” and a real news story from a legitimate source. While teens may be digital natives, many lack the sophistication to gauge the legitimacy of a source.

The spread of fake news and the ease with which it’s legitimized through social sharing clearly has dire implications for the U.S. electorate and our political process. But how will it impact PR – and how can PR pros take a meaningful stand against the proliferation of fake news?

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