By: Riley Kruer
It’s a tale as old as time: you wake up in the morning and begin to scroll through social media only to find a video online teasing an upcoming movie. Excited, you click on it and watch the entire thing. It looks incredible, and you scroll down the comments to see many others sharing your sentiments. However, your excitement quickly fades as you see multiple comments stating that the video is fake. You pull on your detective cap and very quickly see that the trailer isn’t as accurate as you once thought.
Now, when people think of fake news, they think of topics such as politics and healthcare, and rightfully so. With the rise of social media, many people are intentionally and unintentionally sharing things that aren’t true or distorted to fit a particular agenda. Unfortunately, fake news is not limited to these serious topics. They have made their way into the entertainment industry as well, in music, television and film.
The most common form of misinformation in the entertainment industry comes in the form of hoaxes and fake leaks, which are actually a form of disinformation. To clarify, disinformation is defined as deliberate and malicious content used intentionally to mislead, while misinformation is defined as false or inaccurate information. Whether it be fake trailers like in the scenario listed above or a slew of fake tweets from your favorite actor, news literacy is arguably just as important in the entertainment industry as it is with more serious subjects.
So, what are some good ways to become more news literate when you’re reading news about your favorite shows or celebrities? Well, thankfully, organizations like the News Literacy Project have many resources and tips for people to use. However, if you’re more of a detective and want to figure these kinds of things out for yourself, keep these tips in mind:
Ask yourself who created the content you’re looking at. If the source isn’t reputable or doesn’t have a ton of knowledge on the subject, perhaps give the information a second thought.
Is the headline trying to clickbait me? Does the headline seem like it's trying to elicit an emotional response from you? If so, it may not be as credible as you initially thought.
Check other sources. If you’re like me and can’t always determine whether or not something is true, it helps to visit other sources that you know are credible and see if they have covered the topic.
If you’re interested in news literacy and want to explore more tips and resources, please visit newslit.org to check out the News Literacy Project's resources. They have great tools that people of all ages and backgrounds can use to determine whether or not the latest trailer of your favorite movie is real or just trying to hype you up.