The Press Information Bureau a fact-checking arm in December 2019 to curb misinformation
Fake news, which tends to become viral among the public, is a serious problem around the world. Not everything we read on the internet is true and it's always better to verify facts before believing them. To alert the public, the government's Press Information Bureau has shared five ways to spot fake news.
Notably, fake news is news or stories created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Fake news is often created to influence views or for other ulterior motives. The story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes.
''Do you suspect a govt? related news to be Fake. Take a look at #PIBFactCheck's guide on how to spot #FakeNews OR Send us your queries and we will FactCheck them,'' the post was captioned by PIB Fact Check.
See the post here:
The government first asked users to check the source and always be wary of strange domain names or websites. Users should also try to read beyond the headline as these can be outrageous to get clicks. It's extremely important to read the entire story before forming an opinion or believing the headline blindly.
People should also ensure that the information is from trusted sources like government authorities and websites.
''Look for supporting sources. Cross-verify whether the story has been covered by other media outlets,'' the government wrote.
The last step is to always be mindful of what one is sharing online. ''Don't forward posts or stories without verifying them,'' the government added.
The Press Information Bureau launched this fact-checking arm in December 2019, to curb misinformation and fake news prevalent on the internet. It claimed that its objective was “to identify misinformation related to government's policies and schemes that are circulating on various social media platforms”.