Young African Leaders Initiative

     

 

Transcript in English (PDF 320 KB)

With billions of pieces of information passing through our social media feeds, text messages and apps, it’s prudent to have a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to what you see and hear. But as the volume of news and information grows, there’s also more and more ways that we can check their validity.

Knowing how to recognize what is incorrect and misleading information is getting more and more challenging. But there are resources and tools to help you verify whether something is true or false. So when someone shares a news article or video with you, don’t share it before you verify it.

[TEXT: VERIFY]

There are several things you can do to make sure you don’t become a participant in spreading false and misleading information.

Don’t be taken in by shocking or flashy headlines. Read the story that accompanies it. If the headlines greatly exaggerate or misrepresent the information in the story — don’t share it. Also, misspellings and grammatical errors are usually a sign that something is not from a professional source. Be sure to make note of the facts cited in the story. And then do a search to see if you can verify them.

Check that the story includes the author’s name and a date. Check out other stories by the author to determine if that author is a legitimate news gatherer.

Search for the original source or another source for the information. Are other reputable organizations reporting the same thing? Is the individual or organization referenced confirming the story?

Use a fact-checking resource. There are several available on the web and many that are specific to what’s being reported in your region or country.

Finally, check your biases and the biases of not just the author, but the person sending it to you. Do they have an agenda? Don’t participate in the spreading bad information.

So before you share that story – VERIFY it!

Visit YALIChecks for more information!