VERIFY
For a Better PLA(NET)
For a Better PLA(NET)
Are results presented in the piece of content same as in the original report, research paper, survey?
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When reading an article or social media post that references a particular report or research, look for the original research paper, study, or citation, as results are sometimes distorted, misrepresented or at worst, the report does not exist.
RESEARCH ORIGINS
1
Did the other credible source mediated the same information?
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Cross-check information: After checking if an article or video has credible sources, you can search for more verification. Are there more credible sources that communicate the same facts and information? Do they have a similar perspective on the situation, and how do they justify their perspective?
CROSS CHECK FACTS
3
Does the content evoke strong (and negative) emotions in you? When reading or watching, do you feel angry, sad, hopeless, scared or despaired?
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Identify whether the piece is designed to evoke strong emotions and cloud clear thinking.
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Content intended to evoke strong emotions is a form of targeted influence. When you are hot-headed, you think less clearly and are more likely to follow impulses rather than facts.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT
2
Is there something missing?
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Consider how a video is filmed, how a social media post is crafted, and how an article is written: which piece of information is highlighted, and which fact is omitted? To check if a video or article provides a decent and complete overview of the situation, you can ask the 5W and 1H-questions: What, Where, When, Who, Why and How. Can the article answer all of these questions, or is information missing, or another perspective on the topic? Omission can be a key tactic in shaping narratives.
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Would including other information within the text completely change the context?
OMISSIONS
4
VERIFY
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Be mindful of the differences between fake media outlets and legitimate online news sources. Fake news websites often mimic established media.
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Check the URL. Fake news websites frequently have very strange URLs aiming to imitate the ones of the legacy media: e.g., abcnews.com.co.
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Who writes for, owns or founded the media outlet? Partisan news outlets frequently publish articles that support their perspective on a situation. This influences the way in which information is presented. If there is no information, you have likely spotted a fake news website.
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Does the fake news website tend to have a noticeable, re-occurring enemy who is blamed frequently? Does the news outlet go to extremes to (e.g., anti-East/anti-West, anti-left/anti-right) and go to extremes fostering division we vs. them? If so, these texts are likely made to influence you.
FAKE MEDIA OUTLETS
5
Are you distracted? Re-focus.
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Motto of such influence campaigns: Look here, blame the wrong person or element until it is too late. Conspiracy theories are a perfect example of this, and as while the feeling is often correct, something is not right, conspiracy theories divert attention from real facts and the true perpetrators whom citizens should hold responsible and accountable, all while offering a wild theory for an issue.
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Thus, do research and ask yourself: What is truly the key issue? What is more important now? Why do they leave out facts, and why? What do the facts and actions tell us? Is this statement true?
DISTRACTION
7
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Examine the images, followers, posts, and reposts. Often, uncovering one bot can lead to finding other connected bots.
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Conduct a reverse image search of the profile picture. Who is the person in the picture?
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Does this "user" post all the time, and is very active? Bots are highly active and can post up to 50 times per day.
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Who does this "user" follow?
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What does it repost? Who else reposts the content this user reposts, and are those profiles suspicious? Typically, bots repost the same posts.
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When was the account created? Are accounts that repost the same "content" created in the same year or month? If they are, there is a high chance you have spotted a bot network.
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Is personal information missing? Bots tend to lack personal information.
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Do they use automatic translations? Bots often use automatic translations to spread the same message in multiple languages.