Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Fact-Checking Viral Trends For News Writers, Elizabeth M. Downey

University Libraries Publications and Scholarship

Social media is a constant in day-to-day life and is often the first place news breaks. However, the likelihood of false information being spread across social media is high, and this can affect journalists trying to do their jobs, in both gathering information and trying to achieve balance. Reporters and news writers need to be able to quickly evaluate the legitimacy of social media sources for information, especially viral posts, lest they be accused of spreading “fake news.” This chapter examines how social media has disrupted traditional news reporting and caused media outlets to tackle the audience’s opinion of them …