Whenever there’s a flurry of breaking news, sharing news responsibly is challenging. It’s only natural to want to stay updated, and in turn inform others. Sorting through masses of online information is time-consuming enough, but what about our own responsibility regarding the news we share via our social media feeds?
How can we be sure our posts don’t unwittingly spread misinformation? What can we do to share news responsibly?
At a time of global crisis like the one currently enveloping the world, and even in more normal times when we simply aim to share news with one another, it’s important to ask ourselves critical questions before sharing articles, images and videos on social media.
Here are five tips to help:
1. Ask Yourself: “How Do I Know This?”
Before you post anything, stop and ask yourself, “How do I (or the person whose post I’m sharing) know that this is true?” Don’t assume anything.
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2. Sourcing
Is the source of the news story, tweet or post identified? Can you judge for yourself if it’s reliable? Is the ultimate source a first-hand eyewitness? Is s/he quoting an eyewitness, a government official, or another news report?
If you’re dealing with anonymous sources, has the reporter credibly explained why they need to remain nameless? Do you know how to judge anonymous sources?
Related reading: News Literacy: The 7 News Habits You Need to Develop
3. Images
Be wary of images that aren’t credited. We’ve seen recycled images passed off as current, images lacking context, and more. So if you share a photo, be careful about the conclusions you draw from it. If it isn’t obvious from the image itself, include some information about where you saw it and why you trust it enough to post. Transparency is part of sharing news responsibly.
4. Be Transparent
Transparency makes it easier for all of us to digest and judge your contribution to the conversation. This isn’t limited to images. If something you share turns out to be bogus, transparency can help people track down the source and perhaps protect your credibility from getting burnt. If you demand media transparency, then hold yourself to the same standard.
5. When in Doubt, Leave it Out
There’s no need to rush headfirst into posting anything. Take a breath and think it all through. If you have a doubt about the sources or the information, or if the conclusions aren’t borne out by the facts, either rethink what you wanted to say, or don’t say anything.
Related reading: 7 Tips to Teach Your Kids News Literacy
We all benefit from keeping fake news and misinformation out of the public conversation. Social media is where so much of that conversation happens, and our ability to post, share and like content makes us all editors now. Healthy public discourse demands sharing news responsibly.
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