How technology can combat fake news
By Naomi Owusu, CEO of Tickaroo
Fake news isn’t a modern phenomenon caused by social media; in fact, it has a long history that goes back many centuries. An early instance of fake news was published in 1835 by The New York Sun, titled the “Great Moon Hoax“; the story claimed an extraterrestrial civilization was on the moon, which helped The Sun become a prominent and lucrative newspaper. In the early 19th century, as modern newspapers emerged, they began publishing real and fake stories to increase readership. Since then, fake news has continued to evolve, with various significant global events, such as the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and elections, unwittingly causing trusting audiences to consume, believe, and propagate fake news online.
As a result, the prevalence of fake news on digital news aggregators and social media platforms has led to a lack of trust in the media, with 38% of Brits already experiencing this sentiment. Moreover, today’s younger generations are even more skeptical. As the issue continues, distinguishing between fake news, real news, propaganda, and opinion becomes increasingly challenging, making it more difficult to establish and maintain trust in the media.
The evolution of fake news
Defined as spreading false information disguised as genuine news, this rising form of propaganda aims to distribute disinformation among the public to sway individual political or personal beliefs. With over 80% of people in the UK routinely encountering fake news, this growing concern has put media publications and their editorial teams on high alert as they strive to navigate the flood of fake news and deliver accurate, authentic stories to keep the public well-informed. As a result, publishers seek more innovative ways to engage and educate their audiences while countering the proliferation and dissemination of online misinformation.
Unsurprisingly, due to growing social media usage, more people rely on their smartphones for news, with over 49% of UK adults accessing them through social media platforms. Consequently, mobile phones have become the most popular device for news consumption (38%), followed by TVs (26%) and computers (26%). This trend is particularly prominent among younger generations, who prefer quick and easily accessible news formats. In addition, the mobile revolution has resulted in shorter attention spans – the average newsreader spends only 5 minutes and 42 seconds per article.
However, the ease of accessing global news online has also paved the way for opportunistic political figures, internet trolls, bots, and others to create and disseminate fake information on social media platforms, pursuing their own objectives and agendas. This has led to an increasing distrust in media and journalism. Fake news can manifest in various forms, from misunderstood satire and sensationalist journalism to malicious hoaxes and profit-driven fabrications. Moreover, misleading information is not limited to articles or headlines; falsities can also be concealed within images, videos, and even memes throughout one’s social media feed.
So, what is the solution to this rising issue?
Using live blogs and AI to battle fake news
As audience trust and attention spans wane, publishers must present quick, bite-sized news updates that emulate the social media experience. Live blogs offer an ideal solution for sharing brief, pertinent, and truthful information to keep consumers engaged and well-informed. For instance, local media can adapt internationally significant content to cater to their specific regions, saving time and resources. A prime example is Stears’ coverage of Nigeria’s elections this year. Using live updates and incorporating visual data kept their readers engaged, and they managed to increase their online visitors over 100% when compared to their typical day-to-day coverage. Stears’ coverage of Nigeria’s elections was also source linked on Wikipedia and The Guardian, boosting online views and credibility for Stears.
A mere 62% of UK adults consistently trust the news media, posing a significant challenge for both society and publishers. The media is encouraged by global experts to verify the information to curb the dissemination of fake news. In the UK, various fact-checking organizations are exploring using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to scrutinize online content for accuracy. Interestingly, AI can be exploited unethically to create and distribute fake news.
Despite that, AI also holds the potential to become a crucial industry tool in the fight against misinformation. Numerous AI techniques can be implemented to detect, flag, and trace fake news on the internet:
- AI can examine incorrect information related to a topic, such as names, dates, and figures, and cross-check it against content containing similar inaccuracies from the same source, ultimately identifying the content’s origin.
- Utilizing processes like natural language processing, AI can determine whether a human or computer wrote suspicious content. This is a significant indicator since rapidly spreading fake news is often hastily created, and computers generate content faster than humans.
- AI can also track and assess the engagement levels of circulating stories, identifying potential red flags since fake news typically garners more shares than likes. At the same time, “regular” posts receive more likes than shares.
- Finally, as images and videos can be easily manipulated using sophisticated techniques, AI employs algorithms to reverse-engineer any alterations, helping to identify tampered content.
With the progression of technology and the refinement of techniques and methods, publishers must recognize that AI presents benefits and drawbacks and that establishing online equilibrium will require experimentation. Unfortunately, for every team that develops state-of-the-art AI to combat fake news, a malevolent group is seeking novel ways to exploit AI to create and distribute increasingly sophisticated disinformation.
Highlighting ‘freedom’ in the ‘freedom of speech
The right to free speech, a fundamental cornerstone of society, includes the freedom to hold opinions and exchange information and ideas without interference by public authorities or borders. These developing technologies and methods aim not to suppress individuals but to counteract the propagation of harmful, malicious, and inaccurate misinformation that plagues the global media environment.
Achieving the perfect balance between upholding our rights to freedom of speech and expression online while effectively managing toxic and harmful content requires time, innovation, and collaboration between content creators and technology creators. As publishers adopt emerging technologies and trends, from live blogging breaking events to AI-driven fact-checking, the media landscape holds the potential to foster change and regain the trust of its audience.
