Beware of Fake News

By Francisco Castro

We are facing a moment in life like no other, and as this thing progresses, there are more we find out about CVOID-19, and more we realize how little we know. The truth is, that with a novel virus like COVID-19, our best bet is to rely on the opinion and research of experts, researchers, and doctors. We must take a step back and try to take their direction as we face this horrible situation together. 

You can help stop the spreading of panic and uncertainty, by relying on truthful and factual information. We must be vigilant of fake news, and false reports, as these can spread like fire on a field during a summer day. 

One thing you can do before spreading a report or any sort of news is checking the sources, if it is an image, you may check for the media outlet logo, fake news often do not come with any logos. If it does in fact have a logo, you can quickly check their website to verify the news. 

For news coming directly from a website link on a social media platform, it is a little trickier. These come with an elaborate news template and full report. And often have the website logo and name on the link. However, you can quickly verify the legitimacy of the website by making sure the address is correct; you my find that the news report comes from a website with a typo or extra letter/number in the address for example www.azbilimgual.com or www.msnbc1.com 

One of the hardest news to verify are the ones spread by word of mouth. These fake news don’t come with a logo, or website address, but often from people you may trust and rely on, but that does not mean this person is bad or ignorant, it may just be that they weren’t careful enough and fell for these nonsensical lies. One thing you can do is nicely ask them where they heard this news or verify yourself on your preferred media outlet.

The truth is, we don’t know the whole truth yet, but one thing we know is what is not the truth. So, beware of these fake news, as they spread all around us. Now it’s the time to trust your reliable sources and rely on their legitimacy. All news about COVID-19 will come directly from the government and other official agencies, like the CDC, the World Health Organization, the Federal Government, the State Government, as well as your county and city officials. You can also trust your preferred media outlet, as long as you make sure it actually comes from them.