Social Media Skills for Every Digital Marketer
Everyone knows how to post something on Facebook, tweet an image, and how to put a filter on an Instagram photo. Because of this, anyone can easily pick up a...- Mar 17, 2017
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- by Chris Jenkin
Last year, we saw the prevalence of fake news vastly shared via social media. There have been rampant sharing of fake news camouflaged as a legit website. But even if these websites turned out to be fake (or sometimes satire), the damage has already been done. It was too late to retract such rumors as it had already been perceived by individuals as the truth. Because of this, marketers have been faced with the problem of having to deal with the effects of fake news. As for the readers, they’re left struggling with distinguishing the difference between fake news and bad news.
The truth is, fake news has always been around. The only reason we’re dealing with it right now is because there has been a sudden spike in the number of stories that were either partially untrue or meant to mislead the readers. This has been pretty evident in the recently concluded Presidential elections, as things got heated and led to the exchange of harsh words amongst friends and family members on social media.
Thankfully, both Facebook and Google have become alarmed by the prevalence of fake news. This prompted them to announce their plans of tracking down stories that were of such nature. But how does it affect content marketing? How do you even determine whether a story is fake or not? Let’s look at things deeper.
How to Identify Fake News
According to FactCheck.org, it doesn’t take a genius to determine fake news. Here are some of the things to look out for:
So How Does This Affect Content Marketing?
Fake news does not only affect those in content marketing, but everyone in the field of journalism. It creates a bad image for authors, writers, and editors. As a content marketer, it could also hurt your campaign as it could destroy your readers’ trust in the things they find online.
The best way you can combat this is to make sure every content you publish on your website has been fact-checked and verified. If you have any stories to pitch, make sure to do this with reputable reporters and media outlets. This is the best way you can fight against fake news.