“Fake News – Computer Screen Reading Fake News” by mikemacmarketing is licensed under CC BY 2.0

In a socially networked society that is littered with ‘fake news’, misinformation and disinformation, authentic information is often hard to find. Although the terms have varied meanings (essentially, non-intentional versus intentional projection and spreading of false information (Iosifidis & Nicoli, 2019; Komendantova, 2021)), they are still closely related in resulting the same outcome – providing false information to the user/client/patron. This has significant negative implications as it not only misinforms users as individuals, but it also often influences collective social and political movements and

“impacts the public debate on issues such as health and science (e.g., the anti-vaccine movement), foreign policy (e.g., the wars in Iraq and Ukraine), migration, elections…” (Komendantova, 2021).

Thus, as an information specialist, it is imperative to seek authentic information and provide that to users.

To achieve this, there are various key factors that information professionals need to consider regarding misinformation and disinformation. One such factor is understanding that correcting the misinformation may only lead to further emphasis on it. Rather than attempting to debunk false messages, providing true and authentic information may be more effective in curbing misleading information (Komendantova, 2021). However, there are ways to effectively correct misinformation and disinformation as discussed by Chan et al. (2017). In this article, three primary recommendations for effective debunking methods are made that information specialists need to be aware of:

1. Reduce arguments in line with misinformation.
2. Create conditions that scrutinise and counterargue misinformation.
3. Correct misinformation with new detailed information while keeping expectations low.

Another key factor that would further inform the work of information specialists is understanding trends in how youth seek and obtain information and the influence of social media, including Facebook, which is the most visited website worldwide (reaching 2 billion people each month) (Iosifidis & Nicoli, 2019). An Australian study of youth aged 12-17 shows that more than 50% of the study group automatically trusted online sources of information (Johnston, 2018). This in turn suggests that

“many school students are not effectively evaluating social media and online sources” (Johnston, 2018).

Thus, librarians and information specialists could play a crucial role in developing students’ digital and information literacy skills in distinguishing ‘real news’ from ‘fake news’. They can also develop user critical thinking skills through news literacy programs or other resources to evaluate and scrutinise online sources shared by family or friends.

References

Chan, M. S., Jones, C. R., Hall Jamieson, K., & Albarracín, D. (2017). Debunking: A Meta-Analysis of the Psychological Efficacy of Messages Countering Misinformation. Psychological Science, 28(11), 1531–1546. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617714579

Iosifidis, P., & Nicoli, N. (2019). The battle to end fake news: A qualitative content analysis of Facebook announcements on how it combats disinformation. International Communication Gazette, 82(1), 60-81. doi:10.1177/1748048519880729

Johnston, N. (2018). Living in the Post-Truth World: Recent Research and Resources. InCite, 39(3/4), 26–27.

Komendantova, N., Ekenberg, L., Svahn, M., Larsson, A., Shah, S. I. H., Glinos, M., Koulolias, V., & Danielson, M. (2021). A value-driven approach to addressing misinformation in social media. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1), 1-12.