The easiest ways to spot fake news

This new year, let our resolution be: To outsmart fake news.

It’s a tall order, we know, which is why we’re tuning in on Joseph Morong’s online exclusive show “Fact or Fake”.

It premiered on New Year’s Day, with the GMA journalist not only listing down a few bits of fake news that trended the past year, but more importantly, with Morong showing us how we can outsmart fake news.

Says Morong, “Fake news are lies with no verifiable facts and sources, masquerading as news.”

One of the easiest ways to spot a piece of fake news is to look at the source. A legit piece of news will have a quote, a recording, an untouched picture, that’s been confirmed and verified — multiple times if possible. A piece of fake new will not.

One of the biggest pieces of fake news in the past year was Bongbong Marcos allegedly winning the vice presidency. “Yang headline na yan, headline lang. Wala namang naka-attach or naka-kabit na news article,” Morong explains.

Sure there was video link, but if you click on that, you'll see that the video had already been deleted because of…copyright infringement.

Why won’t a fake piece of news have a source, you might ask. Well, because it’s not true!

Another way to spot a piece of fake news: It desperately mimics "mainstream" websites. Because they’re basically lies, fake news wants to look like the real thing. Morong advises, “ginagaya nito ang totoong websites at mainstream media outlets.”

As such, they’d copy the logo, the layout, the color schemes, and worst, the URL, making you think you're in the right website. But trust your gut: If something feels off — the font isn't fat enough — chances are, you might be right and you're reading fake news.

Now, how can you help? Report them to the authorities. If you want to warn people about it, spread the screencap, instead of the link itself.  — LA, GMA News