If we're being honest with ourselves, news media is not what it once was.
Gone are the days when one had to wait until the evening news or next morning's paper to keep apprised of the goings-on in the world.
In 2017, North Americans are people of instant gratification, particularly when it comes to the way we consume news. The advent of Twitter means that anyone can inform themselves in real time about almost anything news-worthy that is going on globally, nationally, or right in their own backyard.
But as is so often the case with any boon, information comes at a price. The Internet has made accessing the information fast and easy – but in so doing has all but removed the series of checks and balances that once ensured the validity and accuracy of the news the public receives.
Today it's all about getting the information out right away – retractions can be done if necessary later with a few keystrokes or a simple tap of the “delete” button. The thing about an open and free Internet is that anyone can publish anything they'd like – and it doesn't necessarily have to be factually correct.
Many “alternative news” sources are agenda-driven, serving only to provide the public with false or misleading information in the endless pursuit of clicks, views, and Facebook likes or shares.
The other day I saw an “article” (if you can really call it that), whose headline made outlandish claims that didn't sound at all plausible. Sure enough, a quick 20-second Google search confirmed my suspicions – the wild accusations made by the headline were not factually correct at all, and did nothing but spread misinformation while riling up the masses.
It can be fun to find a cause to rally behind, but before we light our torches and sharpen our pitchforks it is important to validate information that is received from any news source, particularly alternate ones. This shouldn't need to be said, but blogs are not a credible source for factual information. Anyone can write a blog about anything. We must all make sure we check and double check information – and think critically about what we're reading.
“Fake news” isn't likely to disappear, and it is up to each of us as consumers to come to our own conclusions. After all, the bizarrely attributed quote from “Abraham Lincoln” that everything on the Internet is true couldn't possibly be a lie, could it?
Darlana Robertson is a twentysomething writer from Calgary and a former Central Alberta resident.
