How to Find Truth in the Era of Fake News and Media

Feat. Simplexity episodes with historian PJ Thum Part 1 & Part 2

Never has it ever felt as daunting to keep up with the world. This year alone has inspired countless “last season of Earth” jokes where the writers supposedly just gave up. It’s true, though. Real headlines sound like parodies, and even worse, it feels like we can no longer be sure if what we’re hearing or seeing in the actual news is true. 

Before we dive into the nitty gritty of debunking fake news, we should acknowledge the ways our minds absorb information and how we come to the instinctive belief of whether or not what we’re seeing or hearing true. Specifically, I want to talk about the illusory truth effect.

In one of my recent Simplexity episodes, I had the pleasure of speaking with historian PJ Thum about how history itself can be changed through slow and steady misinformation, controlled by those in a position of power as they pump out certain narratives. To be clear, this idea is already running rampant within our social media and news outlets by using the illusory truth effect.

The illusory truth effect is part of a knowledge-intake study showing that repetition promotes belief, and the more times you’re exposed to a piece of information, the more likely you are to believe in it simply because it’s familiar. This sounds scary, but it’s our brain’s way of getting us to obvious truths or generally believed absolutes, faster. The downside is people can form less substantiated opinions.

Psychologists have cited this effect as a main cause for the rampant spread of fake news. We’re in an age where new Twitter hashtags trend whenever anything happens, categorizing topics with reinforcing ideas. I’m sure we’ve all fallen down the rabbit hole of a topic only to look up later and realize an hour has gone by, our heads spinning with strong opinions from both sides along with a few conspiracy theories.

The illusory truth effect can be tricky to combat. Even when you’re trying to counter the misinformation, you’re repeating it and therefore spreading it. It’s especially difficult to try and correct misinformation for someone who believes it, because your accusation of it not being true is shown to have the opposite effect, causing them to double down on their belief. 

Another issue we face is the onslaught of information from all sides. Media sources serve us their messaging on every platform, coming to us from TV, digital feeds, and passing conversation. Because of the sheer volume, it seems like there’s more ‘fake news’ than ever, and there might be, but the tried and true ways of simple fact-checking and cross-referencing still help to provide some sort of path for you to follow on your way to truth. 

Headlines are designed to catch your eye, following SEO keywords and other algorithms intended to make you want to click. It’s common practice to put something grabbing in the only sentence a person will see. And while it might be true what the headline says, oftentimes you’ll find that context is everything. 

While reading the rest of the article, note the site you’re on. Is this a reputable source? Check the author. Does this person have a known bias that could bleed into the content? 

It’s also worth considering professionalism. Are the spelling and grammar correct? To err is to be human, but if an article is riddled with typos, it may reduce credibility. As previously mentioned, misinformation spreads from repetition, so ask yourself, from where did this originate?

One of the pictures that pops up anytime there’s a major flood is the image of a shark supposedly swimming along the highway. This image is of course fake, but people always seem to fall for it. All it takes is a quick Google search of ‘shark’ and ‘highway’ to find out the truth. The original image is actually from National Geographic photographer Thomas P. Peschak, and the shark in question is–you guessed it–in the ocean.

When slogging through news, take it one piece at a time to determine accuracy. By fully understanding the subject you’re digging into, you’ll gain more context (there’s that magic word again!) for the information, and what people on either side of the issue believe. The parts that make sense will stand out against the parts that don’t. It’s like a puzzle–if you only have half the pieces, you’ll never be able to see the whole picture.

But I would be lying if I said this wasn’t an exhausting task in 2020. It can be discouraging to turn on the news. So if you’re finding the constant barrage of bad news affecting your mental health, consider taking a break from it. Space allows us to sort through our thoughts and beliefs, ultimately providing us with more clarity. And for some impressive insight into PJ’s journalism and controversial pursuit of truth, watch or listen here:

Standing Up For The Truth In Media And Politics (Pt. 1) ft. PJ Thum WATCH / LISTEN

Uncovering and Challenging Fake News and Narratives in Media Politics (Pt.2) ft. PJ Thum WATCH / LISTEN