(GC_15/2019)
Subject: Fake News
Dear Colleagues,
The Institute of Public Certified Accountants of Cyprus wishes with this circular to alert its Members on information deliberately manipulated with the aim of misleading people. Disinformation and ‘fake news’ have become an increasingly visible global phenomenon.
Economic and ideological reasons are mainly the objective for the construction of fake news via the use of emotions to capture attention and generate clicks.
A list of non-exhaustive steps is presented below that can assist in the search for verification of information or the identification of lies and disinformation.
- Check the content – Is the article biased?
- Check the outlet – If the URL looks strange, cross check with other reliable and trustworthy sources
- Check the Author – Is the name of the author disclosed? does the person exist?
- Check the sources – Does the author use reliable sources? Does the story use anonymous sources?
- Check the pictures – An image search can show if it has been used before in a different context.
- Think before you share – The story might be a distortion of real or old events. If an event is real, reliable media will have also covered it.
- Question your own biases – Compare reliable sources and consider that sometimes a story is too good or entertaining to be true.
- Join the myth-busters – Keep on top of the latest tricks and narratives used by those spreading disinformation. Report fake stories and tell you friends.