Agnotology and the 5 principles of news verification
The purpose of this article is to provide you with some methods to verify what you read on social media. Not everything you see is true…
We all know the word “propaganda”, and to make propaganda effective, it takes a skillful and subtle master who articulates so well that identification becomes even more difficult. This skill takes time, so it only works with patient individuals who have a clear purpose.
Agnotology refers to the study of the creation of false/misleading information with the aim of raising uncertainty and ignorance levels on various topics, but it is mostly used for political points, various myths such as:
Cigarettes do not cause cancer, campaigns to convince people that global warming is an exaggeration, gun control will not reduce the number of killings, and that immunizations/vaccines have chips…
Think about how Putin runs Russia. It is well-known that his government finances some of the opposition parties, which may have also caused tensions in the former Soviet region, creating artificial crises to be seen as aid. People fall for it every time. It’s hard for them to know who’s saying what?
Richard Murphy, Professor at the University of Sheffield, co-founder of the Green New Deal
Cases of Unverified News
Because of the speed of news, we rush to be the first to inform the public, and in this case, we make mistakes like:
And when you’re an editor in a hurry (i.e., not a professional), this awaits you:
So, Suzana Starikov used her imagination to fabricate something for April 1st. (Info: Suzana did not intend to misinform, she just created a tweet for the day of lies, aka April Fools.)
So, it’s quite easy: 1. You need an account, 2. You follow some “credible” people or reliable sources, 3. WRITE whatever your heart desires and the final step is to wait for the media to quote you.
The example of misinformation by a public TV editor in Kosovo is concerning because it shows the acute laziness that has been transmitted to us for 20 years. The mistake would have been avoidable if they had communicated with Suzana, and the situation would not have escalated.
But sometimes we also have cases where the matter is so confusing that a comment by the editor like this famous one on February 7th for President Vjosa Osmani:
But, dear citizen of Kosovo, if you don’t want to be misinformed anymore, READ below:
5 Principles of News Verification
1. Origin: Are we reading the news in the original article or content piece?
This means, is the story written in the article where you are reading it for the first time. Anyone can take a photo from Facebook and create a narrative according to their own desires.
2. Source: Who created the article or captured the original content?
Any website or account can write articles, all it takes is a finger. So, check where they got their sources, and are credible (don’t rush to believe something unverified), it can be very humiliating!
3. Date/Time: When was it created?
Individuals can also take photos/videos/information from other people and repost it years later as if it was the first time. The possibility of misuse is very high!
4. Location: Where was the website created, or a piece of content?
Do you remember the earthquake in Albania? Many photos from Google (taken earlier) were shared on Facebook for clicks because they benefit from them. One method to verify is:
https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en
a) Upload the photo
b) Verify yourself
c) Click!
5. Motivation: Why was the article/post/website created?
Usually in Kosovo, it is created for profit, those that have sources and are more credible are known. The motivation depends on what it’s about.
