A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that half-truths, alternative facts, falsehoods, and outright lies spread “‘farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth.'” And that “the effect is more pronounced for false political news . . . .”
It’s more important than every to catch our confirmation biases and apply critical thinking to the news received from any source and verify the facts before sharing an article, comment, or meme.
To help your battle against fake news, watch this video from the folks at the News Literacy project.
The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. NLP is the nation’s leading provider of news literacy education.