This Goes Beyond A Rumor!

_{Eren Li}

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I do not think that it is possible for anyone at all to be alive and not experience fake news at one time or the other. What am I even saying? It is not possible at all. there is no way you will be living in the same world as the rest of us and you would not fall victim to fake news, even if it is just to an extent.

Even during the old days, before technology became what it is, fake news still found a way to be spread so that it could cause the effects it was intended for. Not to talk of now when news travels almost at the speed of light and with just a few clicks you can be privy to a lot of things.

It is seemingly impossible to know if news is fake at first glance. The first time you hear it, you might totally believe it. But then, when you think about it you begin to consider it and if it is not flagged you will consider it as fact and then move on with it.

There is no surefire way to know if the news is fake because even the most reputable sources can be guilty of spreading fake news. No one is above it, because while it can be done by mistake, it can also be done on purpose. So because of this, no one at all is safe from fake news. But then, there are ways we can filter all the news we get, so we can know the ones that are more likely to be accurate.

_{Maauricio Mascaro}

First off, it is prudent if we verify the source of our news first. We make sure that the piece of news that we are getting is from a reputable source. We need to make sure that the news is from the horse’s mouth itself and that way, we know that if it turns out to be false, there will be a valid reason.

Secondly… uhm… I don’t think there is any second tip. As long as you can verify your source, then you should be able to decide if the news is worth believing or not. There is actually only one step to follow in this.

So, have I had an experience with fake news? If you have come this far in the post, then you should know my answer, right?

Well, I will still tell you. I have had my experience with fake news.

_{Markus Winkler}

This one did not really affect me personally, I was more like a bystander in it all. It started the same way most fake news started, as a rumor.

In a place I used to stay, a woman was kidnapped for ransom. Her children had to cough out millions of naira to secure her release. But then, how the rumor began, no one will ever know. But then, it began to spread that it was her brother that had been the mastermind behind the kidnapping, and the reason, was because she was rich and he wasn’t.

The rumor gained more weight as soon after her release, her brother bought a new car and sent his kids to a more expensive school. Where did all that money come from, if not from his sister’s children? Well, soon it got to his sister’s ears and those that she surrounded herself with must have really been pouring it into her because she believed it all. It got so bad that she even had him arrested and charged with kidnapping.

Thankfully, the wife of the brother was close friends with a police inspector, and this inspector took the case personally by looking into the kidnapping. He knew that if he did not catch the actual culprit, then the brother would most likely go to prison because of a rumor. After all, this is Nigeria.

_{Rosemary Ketchum}

It turned out that the mastermind of the kidnapping was not even someone related to them, just another person in the neighborhood that had been monitoring her movements. Her brother had gotten a promotion in his job and part of the benefits had enabled the car and the new school for his kids. There was a perfect explanation for everything that had happened in his life, but there was no explanation as to how the rumor had started.

After the actual news broke out, the brother was vindicated and freed. But his relationship with his sister was destroyed. He could no longer be as close as he had been to her, if she could believe that he was capable of an inhumane act as kidnapping, then what else could she not believe about him? The sister also knew she had messed up, believing things without any evidence to back it up but hearsay. And that had cost her the only sibling she had.

And till today, as at the last time I heard, they have still not reconciled to the level they used to be. Hopefully, things might smoothen out between them and this bad blood will not be transferred to their kids and grandkids. Because that will just be bad.

So, my dear friends, you can see the dangers of spreading fake news. Everyone can suffer the consequences and there is no telling how far it can go or the dangers it can cause. This is why before we can spread anything we have to verify it and make sure it is legitimate. If it is not, then we should not bother. That is the right thing to do.

_{David Gomes}

Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts on this matter in the comments section below, I would love to know what you are thinking. Till we meet in the next post.

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_{This post is inspired by the third topic for this week which is Fake News. Feel free to take part.}

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_{Borderimage credit: @deimage.}