Tutorial: Fake News & Disinformation

Fake News 1

Clarification:

https://sebenarnya.my/video-tular-kononnya-kerajaan-tidak-mahu-bertanggungjawab-isu-kenaikan-harga-adalah-video-yang-telah-diubahsuai-untuk-tujuan-manipulasi/

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=461667361957835

Original Post: -

This is a video that has been circulating on Tik Tok, Facebook and other social media platforms in which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government does not intend to resolve the price increase of goods. The Prime Minister has claimed that this video has been doctored to deliver false information. This news is no longer found on the Internet. The owner might have deleted the video as the Prime Minister has already made a clarification that it is fake.

This fake news would add difficulties to the news organizations as some news organizations might need to waste time in order to check the accuracy of the news and at the same time they are rushing to publish the news. The public might not realize that it is fake news and easily believe in it. This may cause misunderstanding of the public towards the government and cause them to lose confidence in the government. It will create panic among the public as the public is more worried about this issue as this issue is becoming more serious nowadays.

As a journalist, I have to verify the news by checking on the reliability of the sources of this video or searching in Sebenarnya.my before publishing it. I can also mitigate the spread of this fake news by publishing a news article to explain that this is fake news and remind the public to be careful. Next, I would like to interview the Prime Minister for his clarification whether he has said this statement before and if not, what is his explanation on this video.

At the same time, I can also interview the Prime Minister about his opinions and plans on solving the price increase of goods to come out with an article about the response from the Prime Minister and the government’s upcoming plan. By doing so, I can not only mitigate the spread of fake news. I can also deliver some crucial information to the public who is facing the problem as they might be interested to read the article.

Fake News 2

Clarification:

https://sebenarnya.my/tiada-pengelasan-warna-gelang-bagi-individu-di-bawah-pengawasan-pus/

Original Post: https://www.facebook.com/PUTRAfm/photos/pcb.10159382152752402/10159382152452402/

This story is published on Facebook. Sebenarnya.my has verified it as fake news as in fact all the different colors of the quarantine wristband have the same function and meaning. However, a lot of people are not realizing it and this information is widely shared on different Facebook pages.

The fake news will bring large impacts, for example, the news organizations might misunderstand that this is the information provided by The Ministry of Health (KKM) as there is a logo on it and accidentally share the information out. They have to use a lot of time to check on the authenticity of the information too. Fake news will increase the stress of journalists. For the public, they might not be able to differentiate it as fake news and will confuse it with the information. This will create a lot of misunderstandings and create panic among the public.

As a journalist, I have to verify the accuracy of this news before publishing it by checking the information on KKM’s official website, making use of Sebenarnya.my and contacting the people in charge of KKM. Next, if I find this fake news is widely spread online, I should produce a news article to inform the public that this is fake news and share it on social media to increase the awareness of the public. I can also explain with the public the true information on this topic.

Besides that, I can also interview the Minister of Health of Malaysia about this fake news to get a response from him and deliver it to the public. An infographic on the correct information regarding the quarantine wristband can be produced too.