TORONTO — Media consumers of all ages are getting help to critically assess online news and information thanks to a new media literacy tool — SPOT Fake News Online — launched today by News Media Canada.
News Media Canada is the national association of the Canadian news media industry, serving print and digital news media members in every province and territory. Having been awarded earlier this year $484,300 in funding from the federal government as part of the Ministry of Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Initiative, News Media Canada has designed and developed a new public awareness program to provide straightforward tools to encourage Canadians to critically assess digital media and identify misleading or defamatory disinformation.
“We know that so-called fake news, and the spread of disinformation online are very real concerns for Canadians,” said John Hinds, president and CEO of News Media Canada, in a news release issued Monday, announcing the launch of the organization’s media literacy campaign.
“According to an Ipsos-Reid study, 63 per cent of Canadians have trouble distinguishing between legitimate news websites and fake news stories. We developed ‘SPOT’ to provide Canadians with a simple, easy-to-remember tool they can use anytime they’re consuming news online,” Hinds said.
The SPOT Fake News Online tool prompts Canadians to ask themselves four questions when consuming online news and information:
- S: Is this a credible Source? Check the source of the article — and be skeptical.
- P: Is the Perspective biased? Think critically and look for varying viewpoints on an issue.
- O: Are Other sources reporting the same story? Be your own fact-checker and verify the validity of the story.
- T: Is the story Timely? Check the date the story was published — sometimes, stories use old information to take advantage of a timely occurrence.
“Fake news is often used as an umbrella term for misleading, false or fabricated information. It can surface in different shapes, sizes and formats: from false stories, to manipulated photos or altered videos,” Hinds said. “The term fake news is often used incorrectly, to discredit or dismiss information that people don’t like or agree with. SPOT Fake News Online is intended to help build citizens’ critical thinking and preparedness and increase their resiliency to disinformation.”
SPOT Fake News Online is a multifaceted and bilingual campaign that will be communicated to Canadians three ways: through an educational video; through a new SPOT Fake News Online program microsite; and via a comprehensive national advertising campaign in News Media Canada members’ print newspapers and news sites.
To watch the video and learn more about the SPOT Fake News Online tool, visit www.spotfakenews.ca.
