Fake News, Astroturfing and How to Know What’s Real Online
Jan 20, 2017 14:19:53 GMT
kcemm likes this
Post by benson on Jan 20, 2017 14:19:53 GMT
You have no doubt heard the term “Fake News” lately. It’s a very big and very real problem. I am in the news business and have been for decades and I write several articles here on ForexTV and elsewhere. I also edit several articles every day. I make my living researching and writing online. I wanted to share some insights about the issue of Fake News. Unfortunately, the phenomenon may be with us for a long time to come. The concept has been around since the beginning of man’s ability to communicate. The notion of sham and trickery to induce a desired behavior is nothing new. Basically, everything you need to know, your grandmother probably already taught you…”don’t believe everything you hear!”
However, Fake News has become very complex, employing elaborate and sophisticated methods. One such strategy is “Astroturfing”:
“Astroturfing” – is the attempt to create an impression of widespread grassroots support for a policy, individual, or product, where little such support exists. Multiple online identities and fake pressure groups are used to mislead the public into believing that the position of the astroturfer is the commonly held view.
Yikes! Spotting fake news is harder than you think. It’s not just a matter of debunking a story. Astroturfers have lots of money, technology and thanks to Google, Facebook Twitter, etc…(you get the picture), they know how you use the internet.
For example, you see a story on the web, but you’re skeptical. So you do a Google search. You check places like Wikipedia, maybe one of the “Myth-buster” or “fact-checking” sites like Snopes, then look for a few articles (looking for the most “official” or “governmental-looking” site you can find)…sound familiar so far? Astroturfers know exactly how you use the web so naturally they “stake-out” the places you are likely to visit. Yep, they are there waiting for you and know where you will go to verify a story.
So when you hear about that miracle supplement or the study about say, memory loss and decide to visit wikipedia…guess who is writing or editing the wikipedia article? Yep, you guessed it…likely the PR firm hired to help market the study, which then identifies the active ingredient in the supplements as part of the wikipedia fact. Want to check out Snopes? Go ahead, that’s possibly part of the Fake News supply chain too. In the case of the fact-checking sites, while they may not be complicit directly, the Astroturfers may exploit them by inducing them to debunk or support logical arguments that support their cause. Examples are given in the video below.
Astroturfers often operate one or several websites designed for the sole purpose of supporting the subject they are trying to promote. Sometimes these sites are very compelling and very legitimate looking. These sites are designed or optimized to appear on the results pages of your Google search. It’s called search engine optimization (SEO) and it’s very compelling since over 80% of all web traffic emanates from a Google search. So for example, you will likely type in “memory supplement” to do your research…and there they will be. One tip that a subject may be the work of an Astroturf campaign; pay attention to the address bar in Google as you type…if the exact phrase appears before you finish typing (Google anticipates your request), that is a potential indicator. Google uses this technology to identify most common searches.
Another popular tool is the social media meme. A meme is a clever (usually humorous or satirical) message using a video or picture and a short text quote. Memes are easy to share and express a viewpoint quickly both with a visual image and a short, memorable quote. One perverse meme being circulated on social media during the 2016 Presidential campaign depicted the Clintons running a child sex trade from the back of a pizzeria. As absurd and unbelievable as that sounds, that meme was viral on Facebook. This speaks volumes about why Astroturfers are successful, it’s because millions of people are willing to perpetuate it and share it as their viewpoint. Whether this is laziness, mean-spirited behavior or gullibility is up for discussion, but the public does bear some responsibility for the popularity of Fake News.
In addition, the operators can conditionally forecast your next actions and make it appear that there is corroborating viewpoints in your random search. From hiring professionals like doctors or celebrities to write articles or make recommendations, to commissioning seemingly scientific studies. It is all an attempt to influence behavior and create the illusion that there is widespread popular belief and proof of acceptance of a product or idea.
Astroturfers can be highly sophisticated operators, distinguishing real news from hoax is becoming increasingly difficult.
Here are some tips to sort out fake news:
Check the Source
Do you recognize the source as credible? If no, continue to research. Also, make sure it is the actual source and not a web site pretending to be the source. For example our web site is www.forextv.com. If you see a story from us but it is at www.forextv.com.co…it’s false.
Read more than the headline
Duh…this is pretty obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t. And, to be fair, even legitimate story may have a misleading headline…just read the story before you pass it on.
Check the Author
See if it is a real person. Almost every legitimate author will have a biography page and a history of stories. If they don’t that’s a red flag
Check the date on the story
Sometimes an older story was written before all the facts were discovered.
Was the story well-supported?
Check the author’s citations and references. Give them the same scrutiny as the story itself.
Is it a joke or satire?
There’s nothing more embarrassing than posting an outrageous story on your Facebook page, but not realizing it was a joke or a piece from The Onion.
Check your own biases
Many times we will impulsively share a story if it confirms a deeply held belief. This is a bit tough, but slow it down and be honest with yourself. If everyone did this, Fake news would cease to exist.
forextv.com/top-news/fake-news-astroturfing-know-whats-real-online/
However, Fake News has become very complex, employing elaborate and sophisticated methods. One such strategy is “Astroturfing”:
“Astroturfing” – is the attempt to create an impression of widespread grassroots support for a policy, individual, or product, where little such support exists. Multiple online identities and fake pressure groups are used to mislead the public into believing that the position of the astroturfer is the commonly held view.
Yikes! Spotting fake news is harder than you think. It’s not just a matter of debunking a story. Astroturfers have lots of money, technology and thanks to Google, Facebook Twitter, etc…(you get the picture), they know how you use the internet.
For example, you see a story on the web, but you’re skeptical. So you do a Google search. You check places like Wikipedia, maybe one of the “Myth-buster” or “fact-checking” sites like Snopes, then look for a few articles (looking for the most “official” or “governmental-looking” site you can find)…sound familiar so far? Astroturfers know exactly how you use the web so naturally they “stake-out” the places you are likely to visit. Yep, they are there waiting for you and know where you will go to verify a story.
So when you hear about that miracle supplement or the study about say, memory loss and decide to visit wikipedia…guess who is writing or editing the wikipedia article? Yep, you guessed it…likely the PR firm hired to help market the study, which then identifies the active ingredient in the supplements as part of the wikipedia fact. Want to check out Snopes? Go ahead, that’s possibly part of the Fake News supply chain too. In the case of the fact-checking sites, while they may not be complicit directly, the Astroturfers may exploit them by inducing them to debunk or support logical arguments that support their cause. Examples are given in the video below.
Astroturfers often operate one or several websites designed for the sole purpose of supporting the subject they are trying to promote. Sometimes these sites are very compelling and very legitimate looking. These sites are designed or optimized to appear on the results pages of your Google search. It’s called search engine optimization (SEO) and it’s very compelling since over 80% of all web traffic emanates from a Google search. So for example, you will likely type in “memory supplement” to do your research…and there they will be. One tip that a subject may be the work of an Astroturf campaign; pay attention to the address bar in Google as you type…if the exact phrase appears before you finish typing (Google anticipates your request), that is a potential indicator. Google uses this technology to identify most common searches.
Another popular tool is the social media meme. A meme is a clever (usually humorous or satirical) message using a video or picture and a short text quote. Memes are easy to share and express a viewpoint quickly both with a visual image and a short, memorable quote. One perverse meme being circulated on social media during the 2016 Presidential campaign depicted the Clintons running a child sex trade from the back of a pizzeria. As absurd and unbelievable as that sounds, that meme was viral on Facebook. This speaks volumes about why Astroturfers are successful, it’s because millions of people are willing to perpetuate it and share it as their viewpoint. Whether this is laziness, mean-spirited behavior or gullibility is up for discussion, but the public does bear some responsibility for the popularity of Fake News.
In addition, the operators can conditionally forecast your next actions and make it appear that there is corroborating viewpoints in your random search. From hiring professionals like doctors or celebrities to write articles or make recommendations, to commissioning seemingly scientific studies. It is all an attempt to influence behavior and create the illusion that there is widespread popular belief and proof of acceptance of a product or idea.
Astroturfers can be highly sophisticated operators, distinguishing real news from hoax is becoming increasingly difficult.
Here are some tips to sort out fake news:
Check the Source
Do you recognize the source as credible? If no, continue to research. Also, make sure it is the actual source and not a web site pretending to be the source. For example our web site is www.forextv.com. If you see a story from us but it is at www.forextv.com.co…it’s false.
Read more than the headline
Duh…this is pretty obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t. And, to be fair, even legitimate story may have a misleading headline…just read the story before you pass it on.
Check the Author
See if it is a real person. Almost every legitimate author will have a biography page and a history of stories. If they don’t that’s a red flag
Check the date on the story
Sometimes an older story was written before all the facts were discovered.
Was the story well-supported?
Check the author’s citations and references. Give them the same scrutiny as the story itself.
Is it a joke or satire?
There’s nothing more embarrassing than posting an outrageous story on your Facebook page, but not realizing it was a joke or a piece from The Onion.
Check your own biases
Many times we will impulsively share a story if it confirms a deeply held belief. This is a bit tough, but slow it down and be honest with yourself. If everyone did this, Fake news would cease to exist.
forextv.com/top-news/fake-news-astroturfing-know-whats-real-online/
