There is a lot of fake news going around at the moment, much of which aims to exploit our willingness to help others. Terry Bateman has written some guidance on how to spot fake news as a helpful tool for avoiding time wasting and potentially dangerous information.
In summary:
- Watch out for appeals to official sounding sources that don’t give any names or credentials that can be verified.
- Watch out for poor English grammar, syntax and vocabulary
- Be alert for such expressions as ‘experts say’ without saying which expert. Same applies to ‘a doctor’ says – or ‘doctors say’.
- Ask yourself – if this is really true, why hasn’t it been on the news?
- Remember all official guidance comes from verifiable sources such as Public Health England, NHS official website and sources or from Government officials.
- Take what you read on Social Media with a ‘pinch of salt’ – and think carefully before forwarding it to others.
- If unsure forward it to Terry Bateman who will research the matter and respond appropriately
For more details, including some real examples, see Terry’s full guidance