How can I tell if you\u2019re spreading fake news about Covid-19?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simple. I ask you one question: Have you ever commented about Covid-19 using the phrase \u2018They say that\u2026\u2019? If you have, then, sorry, but you\u2019re probably guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If someone comments with some measure of authority on something using the phrase \u2018They say that\u2026\u2019, and I\u2019m within earshot, my reaction is to ask, \u201cSorry, who are \u2018they\u2019?\u201d. It irritates my wife, who I suspect continues to use the phrase simply to return the favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a reason for my pernickety inquisition: In journalism, significant value is placed on the credibility of the source<\/em> of any story or comment within a story. It\u2019s why journalists are very protective of their sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If, say, a story breaks about some cutting-edge research, and I have the lead researcher on speed dial, I\u2019m of significant value. Reason: the lead researcher is a credible source<\/em> with respect to the story. They have the authority<\/em> to comment. I can quote them: \u201cProfessor Fred Dlamini, Director of UCT\u2019s Skin Disease Research Centre, says that nose-scratching in mice may increase the risk of them developing dandruff\u201d; and the story will have credibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, someone working in the university cafeteria is not<\/em> a credible source (unless I want a comment on Professor Dlamini\u2019s beverage preferences).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, if I were to write the story, and my name is in the by-line (as in \u2018this story is written by\u2026\u2019) and I quote Professor Dlamini, then you have the ability to not only identify who<\/em> commented in the story<\/em>, but also track who is responsible<\/em> for the accurate coverage<\/em> of that story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, if you were to comment on this story, you could say, \u201cDaryl Ilbury chatted with Professor Fred Dlamini, who says that scratching your nose may give you dandruff\u201d. It\u2019s not entirely <\/em>correct, but, importantly, the person listening could then verify<\/em> it. They could find the story online, and click on the link I\u2019d provide to dig deeper into the original research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if someone were to say, \u201cThey<\/em> say picking your nose gives you cancer\u201d. How can it be verified? Who reported it? Who are \u2018they\u2019? <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re going to be part of the media with a story and share your newfound \u2018wisdom\u2019, your first reaction should be the ‘ABC of journalism’: Accept nothing, Believe no-one, Check everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless, of course, your priority is simply to make people raise their eyebrows and go, \u201cReally?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But you should be better than that. If you want people to know your wisdom has depth and substance, stick to giving them the facts<\/em>, and support the facts with the details<\/em>, and the sources<\/em> of your wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because if you don\u2019t, you\u2019re spreading fake news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How can I tell if you\u2019re spreading fake news about Covid-19? Simple. I ask you one question: Have you ever commented about Covid-19 using the phrase \u2018They say that\u2026\u2019? If you have, then, sorry, but you\u2019re probably guilty. If someone comments with some measure of authority on something using the phrase \u2018They say that\u2026\u2019, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,1,19,2,18,21],"tags":[149,90,27,102],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=752"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":754,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752\/revisions\/754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.darylilbury.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}