Fake News Is Everywhere: Beware!
Social media has made it possible for us/to obtain information for free.// But there is a pitfall:/there’s a lot of fake news,/or misinformation,/on social media.// How can we cope with it?//
　　In March 2020,/the Covid-19 epidemic was just beginning.// In front of a supermarket in Tokyo,/more than 20 people were lined up/waiting for the store to open.// Paper products such as toilet paper and tissues/sold out in five minutes.//
　　During that week,/there were over 200,000 Twitter posts/mentioning the words “toilet paper,”/“out of stock” and “shortage.”// People thought protective masks were made of paper/and worried that the rush to make masks/would take up Japan’s entire wood supply.// Images of empty store shelves appeared on TV/and people were passing on the message:/“Following the shortage of sanitizers and masks,/toilet paper is running out.”//
　　Finally,/one shop owner put up a sign reading,/“The rumor that there will be shortages of paper products/is a lie.”//
　　That shop owner was correct:/The rumor was fake news.// With a quick search on the Internet,/anyone could have found a message/from the Japan Paper Association/that there was no shortage of toilet paper.//
　　How could the idea of a shortage/have spread to so many people so quickly?// The answer:/It spread very quickly throughout the country/on social media.//

　　Fake news is not a 21st-century phenomenon,/nor is it always dangerous.//
　　Sometimes fake news/is the result of misunderstanding,/like the toilet paper scare of 2020.// Other times,/it is a simple mistake,/like the day in 1874/when a newspaper reported/that America’s beloved author,/Mark Twain,/had died.// Everyone was saddened,/except Mark Twain,/who was perfectly fine and traveling in Europe.// Twain sent a telegram:/“The reports of my death/have been greatly exaggerated.”//
　　However,/sometimes false news is extremely dangerous.// Consider the Nazi propaganda/(official government fake news)/that controlled the thinking of millions of Germans in the 1930s/and contributed to the massacre of millions of Jews.//
　　Up until the 21st century,/fake news spread from person to person/or over radio and TV.// But in the current century,/it spreads faster and farther/and much more dangerously on social media.// In fact,/millions of people are exposed/to extremely destructive false information on the Internet.//
　　It is a matter of the greatest importance to have a discerning mind/in order to identify and reject fake news.// But how should we proceed?//

　　One way to control fake news/is for social media sites to police themselves.// Government regulation may also be necessary.// But in the end,/it is up to each one of us,/as individuals,/to recognize fake news/and to stop passing it along.// Here are some strategies you can use/to evaluate what you see and read.//
　　First,/admit that you don’t understand everything.// The world is complex,/and issues like politics,/economics,/and medicine/are complicated.// Don’t be ashamed/if you don’t know everything,/and don’t expect simple answers.// The recognition of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom.// The Greek philosopher Socrates said,/“The only thing I know for sure/is that I know nothing for sure.”// Don’t accept the first, simple explanation you hear.// Find out what experts are saying.//
　　Second,/admit that you probably have some biases and prejudices.// Challenge what you read and hear/by asking yourself if you agree or disagree on a “gut level.”// If you immediately accept or reject an idea,/without really thinking,/think again.// We tend to accept without question/whatever conforms to the ideas and attitudes we began to develop/when we were children.// Psychologists call this “confirmation bias”:/the tendency to believe things/that support what we have always believed/and to reject,/without much thought,/anything that is different.// Be critical of your ideas and attitudes.// Learn to recognize your own biases.// When you read or hear something/that your “gut” immediately accepts or rejects,/check it out with a reliable source.//

　　Third,/check the source.// To know if a piece of information is true or not,/we need to know where it comes from.// The most reliable news/will come from edited and fact-checked sources:/newspapers,/TV stations,/and digital platforms that list their editors,/publish signed articles,/and name their sources.//
　　Be cautious about news articles that say:/“Lots of people believe…,”/“Experts agree that…,”/“An anonymous insider said….”// These are trick words/to get you to bypass your critical thinking/and go with your “gut.”// Don’t be taken in.//
　　Finally,/don’t get caught up in feedback networks/that reward you with “likes” and “shares.”// You are more likely to send on information that appeals to your biases/than to send on the truth,/especially if the fake information is more sensational/than the plain truth.// You get positive feedback/and are encouraged to send on more fake news/in the future.// Social media often rewards you more for sending on fake news/than for sending on the truth.//
　　The Internet brings us all sorts of information,/ideas,/and opinions.// Media companies and the government/have an obligation to protect us from fake news.// In the end,/however,/everything depends upon each one of us becoming more discerning and critical/in the way we manage information.//
　　Remember,/you are surrounded by massive amounts of information,/and more than a little of it is fake news.// Protect yourself,/your family,/your community,/and your country.// Think twice before you click “Like.”// Think thrice before you click “Share.”//