How to fight fake news - Tearfund Learn

Podcast highlights

People today get their news and information from many different sources including the internet, social media and from friends. But not all of this information is accurate.

Shaydany explains that social media feeds often give priority to the information that people are engaging with most. This can lead to a distortion of the truth and the spread of misinformation.

‘Sometimes it means you get the information you are interested in, but sometimes it means that the content you are seeing is really just the content that is eliciting strong reactions,’ says Shaydany.

‘Nowadays, with the way that people get information, everyone has a role to play in calling out bad information and making sure that the information they are putting out in the world is not going to be harmful to someone else.’

People today get their news and information from many different sources including the internet, social media and from friends. But not all of this information is accurate.

Shaydany explains that social media feeds often give priority to the information that people are engaging with most. This can lead to a distortion of the truth and the spread of misinformation.

‘Sometimes it means you get the information you are interested in, but sometimes it means that the content you are seeing is really just the content that is eliciting strong reactions,’ says Shaydany.

‘Nowadays, with the way that people get information, everyone has a role to play in calling out bad information and making sure that the information they are putting out in the world is not going to be harmful to someone else.’
Shaydany says, ‘First, make sure that you have accurate information yourself. This means taking a minute to check. If you see a piece of information that causes a strong emotional reaction, stop and think about why you are having that reaction. Also, check your sources. The closer you can get to finding the original source, the more you are going to understand the context of that information.

‘Usually people do not share misinformation maliciously - they are sharing it because they believe in it and there is something that they are concerned about. So if you can understand their concerns, then you can probably have a more productive conversation.

‘Do not be dismissive about people’s legitimate concerns. Address those concerns and then help that person with an alternative explanation.’

Shaydany says, ‘First, make sure that you have accurate information yourself. This means taking a minute to check. If you see a piece of information that causes a strong emotional reaction, stop and think about why you are having that reaction. Also, check your sources. The closer you can get to finding the original source, the more you are going to understand the context of that information.

‘Usually people do not share misinformation maliciously - they are sharing it because they believe in it and there is something that they are concerned about. So if you can understand their concerns, then you can probably have a more productive conversation.

‘Do not be dismissive about people’s legitimate concerns. Address those concerns and then help that person with an alternative explanation.’
A belief in fake news often comes from a lack of trust in the media, politicians or businesses. It is therefore important to have a good, trusting relationship with people in order for them to listen to you, especially if you are challenging them about something they believe in.

For example, during the 2014 Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone people were continuing to touch and pray over dead bodies, even though this was one of the key ways in which the disease was spreading. When trusted religious leaders began to use verses from the Bible and the Qur’an to help teach people how to keep themselves and each other safe, more people began to follow the guidelines and the number of cases started to decrease.

Read more about the remarkable role that faith leaders played during the Ebola outbreak in the Footsteps edition on communicable diseases.

A belief in fake news often comes from a lack of trust in the media, politicians or businesses. It is therefore important to have a good, trusting relationship with people in order for them to listen to you, especially if you are challenging them about something they believe in.

For example, during the 2014 Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone people were continuing to touch and pray over dead bodies, even though this was one of the key ways in which the disease was spreading. When trusted religious leaders began to use verses from the Bible and the Qur’an to help teach people how to keep themselves and each other safe, more people began to follow the guidelines and the number of cases started to decrease.

Read more about the remarkable role that faith leaders played during the Ebola outbreak in the Footsteps edition on communicable diseases.

About this podcast

How to build community is a podcast and radio show from Arukah Network and Tearfund’s Footsteps magazine. The podcast gives people the opportunity to inspire and motivate others by talking about their community projects and ideas.

Please get in touch if you have any ideas for future podcast episodes.

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How to fight fake news: An introduction

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