News - Real or Pretend?

There were headlines recently discussing the rise of "fake news" and the impact it had on the presidential election.

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are two places looking to earn advertising revenue through every pair of eyeballs falling for the 'click bait.'

Media isn't all it's cracked up to be now that anyone with a smart phone can be a reporter by popping a short story, photo, or video online.

Just start writing and if your words get picked up and circulated it may not matter whether or not the article is backed up with sources or facts.

There were many times during my reporting career when stories I called into the newsroom were taken apart because they needed another perspective or more information from a source which could shed light on the situation.

Pre-Internet, we learned by trial and error which sources of news we could trust.  Walter Cronkite was believed so much, that when the CBS Evening News shined its light on the Watergate Scandal, President Nixon knew he lost the country.

One Facebook fake story which has made multiple rounds was a post referring to a news item seen on "Channel 13" warning Facebook fans about an upcoming change to the hugely popular site.

Except it was a complete fabrication!

Fabrication, parody, and spoofs are celebrated at site like The Onion; but the dangerous ones use names which sound vaguely legitimate.

We have access to more information than any time in history and are quickly becoming less knowledgeable.

Check your online sources, I suggest stick with those who've earned their reputation, and read everything with a speck of salt.