Is it real or fake news?

By Ukaiko A. Bitrus-Ojiambo

Perhaps we don’t keep track of the times that these words are uttered, “It’s true! ‘I read it, saw it, or heard it’ in the news.” Can we trust information in this media environment?

The presidency of Donald Trump has popularised and globalised the term faux news, in relation to Fox News Channel. This political statement is also a pun, a play on the word’s phonetics and semantics; after all, “faux” means “fake” in the French language.

This news content can be transmitted as an image, as with the African village terrorized by a ginormous python? Fake news. It can also be a text message; like that time a reputable shoe company was allegedly giving everyone in the world a free product or service. Fake news.

How does one go about verifying information? Can news be fake-proofed? After all, there is a vast pool of information available on any topic; 24/7; to anyone, anywhere, who can access the internet with an enabled device.

Real vs. Fake news

Real news passes through an editorial process and is considered true and reputable information. The end product is fair, objective, truthful, ethical, and newsworthy; another common term used is hard news.  Fake news self-serves, exaggerates, and sensationalises current affairs topics. Similarly satirical news embellishes and pokes fun at social interactions and customs.

Illustrations : COURTESY Uttam Ghosh

What can be done?

You are not alone, if you grapple with whether or not information is real or fake. Although we can’t control who creates, uploads, and shares information, we can try to be more conscious, critical consumers and distributors of information in the digital, media, and news literacy areas.

Here are a few tips:

1. Verify sources, as much as possible before forwarding content.
2. Approach media content critically; keep tabs on current, local and international news.
3. Learn to identify ‘fake news’ so as to alert others and / or to counter messages.
4. Clarify when content is not generated or created by you.
5. Cross-check facts, datelines and sources (links, sites, creators).
6. Look for opportunities for training, for example, with Media Council of Kenya.

You can read more here, and here.

Arguably, big tech companies can be held more accountable to develop and use software that can protect their users from fake news. Until then, the best offense is defense. Learn more about media content presentation and format; be alert to messages that seem too good to be true; and be an ambassador to the dissemination of real news!

Ukaiko A. Bitrus-Ojiambo is a lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies at St. Paul’s University.

Profiles

Meet Light FM presenters

By Ivy Robi

The main contributors to Light FMs programmes and shows are students from across our campuses. This section of our blog seeks to profile them and their shows.

 

In and Out of Kabuku by Stephen Wanjohi

Wanjohi hosting his show    PHOTO: Victor Mibei

Stephen Wanjohi, or just Wanjohi to his comrades is a second year Communication student at Limuru Campus.

In and Out of Kabuku is a weekly show that focuses on various issues.  The show is divided into various segments. One is ‘Humor of the week’. Another is ‘Happenings within Kabuku’ which highlights the main developments around the school’s off-campus environment. ‘Strength of a woman’ focuses on popular female personalities. There is also a segment on business, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Wanjohi chose this particular programme to highlight the issues and challenges faced within the Kabuku area.

His target audience mainly consists of the youth who live in Kabuku  and SPU students.

The show airs every Thursday between 3-5PM.

Zinduka East Africa by Michael Maina

Michael Maina is a Communication student in Limuru Campus.

He hosts Zinduka East Africa, a weekly show that purely focuses on the youth and entertainment.

Zinduka is a Swahili term which means arise. The programme seeks to address the need for purposeful entertainment targeting the youth.

The show is divided into various segments that tackle issues of alent, politics and popular culture.

Maina’s target audience is “anyone looking for a good time and aged 18-30”. His show airs every Friday between 4-7PM.