It is without irony that I remind readers that it was Kellyanne Conway – loudspeaker of the early Trump administration – who coined the phrase “Alternative facts” in January 2016 (about inauguration crowd sizes). After all, you would think “fake news” has existed far longer. Of course, if we count centuries of propaganda it has, yet we have entered a frightening era where actual facts and realities are now witch-hunted as fake news even when they are resoundingly real.

I could wax poetic for paragraphs on the world’s present plight that seems all the more emphasized in America. Only this morning I engaged with a childhood best friend’s parent on Facebook who used a website called Kamala Harris DOT NEWS (I refuse to link the source) to share that our current Vice President has reaped the benefits of slavery as her ancestor was a slaveholder (let us ignore that her slaveholder relative raped the other, overlooked ancestor). But Kamala Harris DOT NEWS – how does one fight kindergarten logic?

The problem is, things have become about politics. American hate talking politics. We also hate talking about race and religion and money. These are the faux pas of high society – or at least that’s the illusion of the middle class. But what if we always should have been talking about these things? What if our division is a result of not openly discussing our beliefs and the opinions and insights of others?

With fake news, “echo chambers” have become the other buzzword to represent that most people consume media that reinforces or amplifies the narrative they already believe. We read what we want to hear. We watch what we want to see. Facts or news that challenges our belief system is unsettling and possibly fake. Now the latter is technically possible, but how do we know what is actually fake?

Most of us recall the early days of social media. Our parents constantly reminded us to beware who sat behind the other computers – age, gender, and location should be suspect. That lauded wariness has been tossed aside in current times; there’s little concern that the other person behind the keyboard is Russia or a white supremacist. People share news sources from websites called Kamala Harris DOT NEWS, The Boston Tribune (yes, fake!), and American News (also fake!) without checking what they are sharing. Even more elementary, people post and repost memes that contain allegations and accusations without verifying that the allegation is real or who said it. Note, a singular politician making a statement or sending a tweet does not make for a Democratic or Republican platform.

Unfortunately, facts do seem partisan these days. I went to share an article earlier and the headline read, “Russia Tried to Help Trump; China Did Not Help Biden” – a very liberal stance to take, yet the facts remain, these things are true.

But how are we to know what’s true? Even I have found myself confused or surprised by a headline, sometimes to find it’s fake and occasionally to find it is indeed true, though in juxtaposition with my previous understanding.

1.     Use Duck Duck Go

This may become old advice soon, but Duck Duck Go is an Internet search engine that avoids saving and using personalized information. This means that the results are not biased by your previous searches or what social media machines (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) suspect you like and want to hear.

Suddenly, your targeted ads will not be that thing you told your friend you wanted yesterday (with your phone listening in your pocket)! And neither will your suggested news present what the media thinks you want to hear. 

2.     Has It Been Reported by Others?

News and facts should be reported by multiple sources. If only one publication has shared those “facts,” then those facts are suspect. Facts need corroboration

The Hunter Biden laptop narrative is a great example of this. New York Post was the only “newspaper” to first publish the allegation and could not verify their sources. Even conservative radio show hosts introduced the Hunter Biden story with, “I can’t verify this, but it’s damning if true” (and repeating rumors as “potential news” is pretty damning of the messenger).

3.     Does This News Meet Your Expectations?

If your reaction is, “Of course, Joe Biden’s son did that” or “Duh, Republicans are doing that,” then you should be more suspect. People are not born heroes or villains nor do they act within those confines.

Consider what facts may be missing from the story. It might even be beneath the headline – read what you’re internalizing and potentially sharing. Context matters. Did one person say it? Did others endorse them? Has the political party taken a stance on this?

AOC is not the Democratic Party. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not the GOP. Avoid affirming your biases. 

4.     Why Might This Be Fake?

Even if you suspect it is real, it is important to be on the defensive. Just as we kids were taught to suspect the cool kid on AIM is probably a pedophile, we should suspect news of the same.

I always think, “Who profits from this?” We live in a capitalist society. Who is making money (or keeping their fortunes) if a story is true? Who is losing out? Maybe it’s not money; maybe it’s publicity or votes.

The same logic applies not just for news, but for conspiracies. I once had someone suggest dinosaurs might be fake. I’m not sure if they have researched paleontologists’ salaries, but no one is making money from the existence of large prehistoric lizards.

5.     Does the Headline Capture the Story?

Journalism is in financial trouble. Governments don’t fund newspapers to avoid bias. Similarly, the average person doesn’t buy a newspaper. They ingest media through their computer screen, seemingly for free. Yet we need journalism — and particularly, freedom of press — to hold our governments accountable.

Media relies on advertisements to fund journalism. To make money from ads, they need you to subscribe to their paper (for free or paid), and they also need you to click on articles. This includes writing catchy headlines. “China Did Not Help Biden” as an article title will surely be shared hundreds of time, yet fails to capture the nuance that China did consider interfering in the 2020 election.

Before and when considering sharing an article, consider adding the context with your share and not just a headline that aligns with what you believe. Tell your friends and followers why this share matters to you.

I once had a conversation with someone who said the Democrats wanted to wipe student loan debt for all. This policy has been floated by certain Democrats, but it’s not an official Democratic stance; Joe Biden has in fact said he is not for erasing student debt. The person shared an article where the headline seemed to agree with them — yet I conveniently pasted back a paragraph from the article that said exactly what I just wrote.

6.     What Do Buzzwords Mean?

“Radical,” “socialist,” “moderate,” “extremist” – these are adjectives thrown around that add no value other other than raising your blood pressure. What do they mean to you? To another person?

Someone told me recently that Biden needed a “comprehensive plan” for the US/Mexico border. What does “comprehensive” entail? What about his current plan is not “comprehensive”? I am not saying I agree with his plan, but saying someone needs a “comprehensive plan” does not offer a solution. It’s a critique empty of merit.

Beware similar accusations about “radical” or “extremist” policies. Ask yourself what is radical about it and why is it radical.

7.     Follow Other News Source

To avoid the downfall of echo chambers, actively engage and follow news sources that don’t report in line with your politics. Fox News is the notorious leader of right wing media while CNN and MSNBC lead liberal outlets.

Here is a website that shows where news sources fall on the political spectrum. Go to Facebook and like the pages for those that you aren’t already consuming.

You may not follow any news currently, but surely these headlines pop into your feed through the random friend who posts a link or you tune in nightly for a Rachel Maddow or Judge Jeanine rant. Follow the person you’re not tuning into.

People are shocked (and don’t believe me) when I share that the American Republican Party is more far right than the Democratic Party is left (the US Democratic Party is actually centrist). Again, apologies if that doesn’t track with your conceptualization. It didn’t match my expectations either. 

Similarly, unless your mental health is at risk, do not delete or unfollow persons sharing opinions that you disagree with. You are creating your own echo chamber when you do this.

8.     Stop Listening to Talk News

We used to talk about the 6 PM news. Families tuned in at 6 PM to watch a national news anchor deliver the top headlines for 30 minutes. That was the news.

Currently, our news is 24/7. News should not take 24 hours to deliver. Unless we are covering the entire globe or a national tragedy has occurred, there is no reason for ongoing news. 24/7 news entails talk news. That is not news or facts. It is commentators editorializing facts. Oftentimes, these commentators invite other commentators onto their shows to discuss facts. Takes on facts are not news. Takes on takes are not facts. Tucker Carlson’s myriad opinions to drive clicks to Fox News’ website is not news.

On the same note, op-eds are not news. Do not judge a newspaper because you disagree with an op-ed or which readers’ commentary they choose to publish. Newspaper go to great lengths to separate their editorial departments from news reporting. In fact, you’ll find reporting may contradict print opinions. Feel free to share this.

9.     Talk About things

My penultimate urgent plea is that we start talking about religion, politics, race, and money. As long as I’ve been alive, I’ve been told these topics are taboo. Inevitably, our collective silence has led to such a deep misunderstanding of one another’s ideology.

We should share our experiences and opinions. We should remind others that not everyone draws the same conclusions or uses the same logic as ourselves. We often generalize our personal experiences as fact and fail to consider that our outlook may be the outlier. It’s important to couch our experiences as part of a broader cultural fabric. Not everyone had two married parents. Not everyone went to college. We don’t all have cars nor can we all afford them. These things shape our views and what solutions society and government should offer.

Again, people are not villains. Understand why you may have different opinions — on racism, integration, religious persecution, and taxation. A different opinion does not make for a socialist or a fascist.

10.  Call People Out.

In a similar vein to the above, we should share our experiences, but we also should challenge people. We need to stop scrolling past articles and opinions that we disagree with. As we saw with the 2020 election, nearly half of America is divided on what is the best way forward (74 million versus 81 million people are not small numbers). January 6 violently reminded us that ignoring our division does no one good. Any so-called (non)-silent (non-)majority should acknowledge other, silent or not, minorities – whether that is in public opinion, ethnicity, or what have you.

It is even more imperative that we call out fake news. Ask people, “Who is saying Dr. Seuss is canceled?” “Why do you think this isn’t an example of racism?” “Why are you suspicious of the vaccine?” “What does a more comprehensive plan look like?”

People are fast to regurgitate talking points with little substance beyond the syllables. Push people to explain their positions. Allowing someone to copy and paste their “hot take” on an issue that receives likes from like-minded friends and followers and no contrary feedback reinforces the notion for that person that they are correct and that the majority must agree with them. In this way, echo chamber walls grow firmer and taller. 

Overall, even if we vote differently, if we hope to be less divided, we should seek to understand one another. We must challenge misinformation. We must stop being complacent to (true) fake news. We must speak up if we hope to save our society and especially redeem our friends and family members.

This plague of fake news will not end with another election or with a vaccine. Until and unless we address it, the problem will grow larger.