Latest news with #fakenews
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Teenagers aren't good at spotting misinformation online
Misinformation is found in every element of our online lives. It ranges from fake products available to buy, fake lifestyle posts on social media accounts and fake news about health and politics. Misinformation has an impact not only on our beliefs but also our behaviour: for example, it has affected how people vote in elections and whether people intend to have vaccinations. And since anyone can create and share online content, without the kind of verification processes or fact checking typical of more traditional media, misinformation has proliferated. This is particularly important as young people increasingly turn to social media for all kinds of information, using it as a source of news and as a search engine. But despite their frequent use of social media, teenagers struggle to evaluate the accuracy of the content they consume. A 2022 report from media watchdog Ofcom found that only 11% of 11 to 17 year olds could reliably recognise the signs that indicated a post was genuine. My research has explored what teenagers understand about misinformation online. I held focus groups with 37 11- to 14-year-olds, asking them their views on misinformation. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. I found that the young people in the study tended to – wrongly – believe that misinformation was only about world events and scams. Because of this, they believed that they personally did not see a lot of misinformation. '[My Instagram] isn't really like 'this is happening in the world' or whatever, it's just kind of like life,' one said. This may make them vulnerable to misinformation as they are only alert for it in these domains. There was also wide variation in how confident they felt about spotting misinformation. Some were confident in their skills. 'I'm not daft enough to believe it,' as one put it. Others admitted to being easily fooled. This was an interesting finding, as previous research has indicated that most people have a high level of confidence in their personal ability to spot misinformation. Most did not fact-check information by cross-referencing what they read with other news sources. They relied instead on their intuition – 'You just see it, you know' – or looked at what others said in comment sections to spot misinformation. But neither of these strategies is likely to be particularly reliable. Relying on gut instinct typically means using cognitive shortcuts such as 'I trust her, so I can trust her post' or 'the website looks professional, so it is trustworthy'. This makes it easy for people to create believable false information. And a study by Ofcom found that only 22% of adults were able to identify signs of a genuine post. This means that relying on other people to help us tell true from false is not likely to be effective. Interestingly, the teens in this study saw older adults, particularly grandparents, as especially vulnerable to believing false information. On the other hand, they viewed their parents as more skilled at spotting misinformation than they themselves were. '[Parents] see it as fake news, so they don't believe it and they don't need to worry about it,' one said. This was unexpected. We might assume that young people, who are often considered digital natives, would see themselves as more adept than their parents at spotting misinformation. Taking responsibility We discussed whose role it was to challenge misinformation online. The teens were reluctant to challenge it themselves. They thought it would not make a difference if they did, or they feared being victimised online or even offline. Instead, they believed that governments should stop the spread of misinformation 'as they know about what wars are happening'. But older participants thought that if the government took a leading role in stopping the spread of misinformation 'there would be protests', as it would be seen as censorship. They also felt that platforms should take responsibility to stop the spread of misinformation to protect their reputation, so that people don't panic about fake news. In light of these findings, my colleagues and I have created a project that works with young people to create resources to help them develop their skills in spotting misinformation and staying safe online. We work closely with young people to understand what their concerns are, and how they want to learn about these topics. We also partner with organisations such as Police Scotland and Education Scotland to ensure our materials are grounded in real-world challenges and informed by the needs of teachers and other adult professionals as well as young people. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Yvonne Skipper has received funding from the ESRC, Education Scotland and British Academy.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Nigeria Senate describe reports of approving creation of 31 new states as fake news
Nigeria National Assembly don describe tori wey dey spread say lawmakers don approve di creation of 31 new states for Nigeria as fake news. Tok-tok pesin for di Senate, Yemi Adaramodu tell BBC News Pidgin say di "National Assembly alone no fit create states for Nigeria, plus di proposal go pass through various stages of constitutional amendments, wey include further public hearings". Di proposal for state creation must also get di approval of two-third majority of di number of states houses of assembly. "Na thorough process," senator Adaramodu add. BBC News Pidgin seek oga Adaramodu response afta we spot tori wey pipo don share plenty times on WhatsApp wia dem claim say di Senate don give green light for di creation of di 31 new states. Na for February 2025, di House of Representatives committee on constitutional review tok say dem receive proposals for di creation of 31 new states for di federation. Chairman of di committee, Benjamin Kalu propose say make dem create six new states for North Central, four for North East, five for North West, five for South East, four for South-South and seven for South West. If di National Assembly approve dis proposal, Nigeria go get 67 wey go big pass di 50 states wey America get. Wen di process go conclude neva dey clear, as senator Adaramodu tok say na long process wey involve various stages of constitutional amendments. Wetin Nigeria constitution tok on state creation Section eight of di Nigeria constitution make provision for how to create a new state for di kontri. First, di request for new state go dey supported by at least two-thirds majority of members wey dey represent di area demanding di new State for di National Assembly (both Senate and House of Reps), di State House of Assembly of di area, and di local goment councils of di area. Den di proposal for creation of state go enta referendum - voting - wia at least two-thirds majority of di people for di area go vote in support or against di demand for creation of di State. Afta dat, di result of di referendum go dey approved by a simple majority of all di states of di federation supported by a simple majority of members of State Houses of Assembly. Di last step na for di proposal to dey approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each of di Senate and House of Representatives. Breakdown of di proposed states NORTH-CENTRAL BENUE ALA STATE from Benue State. OKUN STATE from Kogi State OKURA STATE from Kogi State CONFLUENCE STATE from Kogi State APA-AGBA STATE from Benue South Senatorial District APA STATE from Benue State. A 37th state, wey dem go name FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA NORTH-EAST AMANA STATE from Adamawa State. KATAGUM STATE from Bauchi State. SAVANNAH STATE from Borno State. MURI STATE from Taraba State. NORTH-WEST NEW KADUNA STATE and GURARA STATE from Kaduna State. TIGA STATE from Kano State. KAINJI STATE from Kebbi State. GHARI STATE from Kano State SOUTH-EAST ETITI STATE go be di sixth state for di South East geopolitical zone. ADADA STATE from Enugu State. URASHI STATE from South East geopolitical zone. ORLU STATE from di South Eastern Region of Nigeria. ABA STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria. SOUTH-SOUTH OGOJA STATE from Cross River State. WARRI STATE from Delta State. BORI STATE from Rivers State. OBOLO STATE from Rivers and Akwa Ibom States. SOUTH-WEST TORU-EBE STATE from Delta, Edo, and Ondo States. IBADAN STATE from Oyo State. LAGOON STATE from Lagos State. IJEBU STATE from Ogun State. OKE-OGUN from Ogun State IFE-IJESHA from Oyo, and Osun states. Nigeria need more states? Di simple answer na "no we no need more states", according to Dr Bello Maisudan, a lecturer for di Department of Political Science for Bayero University, Kano. Oga Maisudan explain say state creation suppose dey based on four things: demand, population, land size, and self sufficiency. On demand, Maisudan tok say pipo fit call for a new state maybe bicos of percived marginalisation by a majority ethnic group or inter-ethnic conflicts. Examples according to am na Nasarawa State wey dem create out of Plateau State and Bayelsa wey come out of Rivers State. Also, di size of di land by area as well as di population of a place na anoda tin to consider bifor creating a new state. Of course, di proposed new states, if created, suppose dey able to sustain itself and not to dey rely on federal allocation. "If you consider dis four factors, you go agree wit me say we no need new states. Even di 36 states wey we get now, how many of dem meet di criteria, especially di ability to sustain diasef witout di support of di federal goment?" Dr Maisudan ask. "In my opinion, if new states go dey created, e no suppose dey more dan five more, considering oda factors such as population and di complain of marginalisation of small ethnic groups by di majority ones." Oga Maisudan say even though some benefits dey from creating more states, di disadvantages pass di advantages. Some of di disadvantages according to am na e go add more to di cost of governance especially bicos some of di existing states need support from di federal goment to sustain diasef. Anoda one be say, e fit increase di agitation for separation from di kontri.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Baseless posts about India embassy attack misuse old photos
Unfounded rumours have circulated among Indian social media users that the country's embassy in Afghanistan was attacked in early July. The visuals in the false posts are old, and include a picture of a bombing that damaged the German embassy building in Afghanistan's capital Kabul in 2017. "Shocking news from Kabul: Attack on the Indian Embassy; several officials martyred while serving the nation," reads a Hindi-language X post shared July 7, 2025. "This shameful act violates international diplomatic principles," adds the caption to two pictures that each depict a damaged building. Similar claims also surfaced on Facebook on the anniversary of the 2008 attack on India's embassy in Afghanistan that killed 41 people and injured about 150 others (archived here and here). Comments to the false posts indicate social media users believed the visuals were recent. "This is bad news," one wrote. Another said, "Will Modi do something or not?" referring to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But there have been no official reports of an assault targeting the Indian diplomatic headquarters in Kabul. A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the first photo on the archives of The Associated Press (AP) news agency (archived link) "Afghan security forces watch a house burn at the site of a clash between insurgents and security forces at the Indian Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, May 23, 2014," reads part of its caption. The picture was also published in a report from Indian media NDTV about the incident (archived link). The second same image was published in a Reuters report with a caption that says, "Afghan officials inspect outside the German embassy after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 31, 2017" (archived link). The report said a bomb hidden in a sewage tanker exploded in the centre of Kabul, killing at least 80 people and damaging embassy Jazeera featured the image in a report about the blast (archived link). Other false posts include a third picture also from AP depicting former Indian diplomats inspecting the embassy in Kabul following a car bomb attack in October 2009 (archived here and here)
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump says he doesn't understand why his supporters are interested in 'boring' Epstein case
Donald Trump told reporters he doesn't understand why his supporters are so interested in the 'sordid, but boring' crimes of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'He's dead for a long time,' the president said. 'I think, really, only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going,' he said. Trump's comments came after the justice department announced Epstein's death was a suicide and that, despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, there was no list of his clients to be made public
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ICE denies 'fake news' claims about detention centers
By ICE officials furiously denied the 'fake news' claims that migrants are starving in detention centers. The agency, headed by Homeland Security, hit back at a recent NBC News report that detainees have had to deal with overcrowding, food shortages and spoiled food at detention centers in at least seven states, according to immigration advocates. After the outlet published the story early Monday morning, Homeland Security took to its X account and shamed the network for its 'false' report. The post revealed a screenshot of the outlet's headline: 'Immigrants in overcapacity ICE detention say they're hungry, raise food quality concerns,' to which the agency responded: 'FAKE NEWS!' 'Any claim that there is a lack of food or subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are FALSE. 'All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. 'Meals are certified by dieticians. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.' The agency's comment sparked an influx of reactions from online users as some stood by the statement and others questioned it. 'They are treated far better than they deserve,' one wrote, referring to migrants. 'ICE treats criminal illegals better than Gavin Newsom treats homeless veterans,' said another. 'BREAKING: @NBCNews is ALWAYS fake,' someone wrote. Others were not as convinced the agency was telling the truth, as one user said: 'Post video of these supposed claims of yours.' 'You deny it, so it's true,' another commented. 'Show the receipts. And let observers in with cameras,' wrote another. Although the agency has vehemently denied these claims, a former ICE official told the outlet it's difficult for a detention facility to stay stocked up with food when new illegal migrants get thrown in. 'While the agency can move money around to cover the cost of detaining more immigrants, planning for unexpected daily spikes can be difficult for facilities and could lead to food being served late or in small quantities,' the outlet wrote, per the source. This is not the first time NBC has been the target of Homeland Security, as Secretary Kristi Noem made a fiery appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday as she fiercely defended the Trump administration's controversial new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' The interview came after Democratic lawmakers described the facility as a humanitarian nightmare. In a blistering exchange with NBC anchor Kristen Welker, Noem accused Democrats of hypocrisy and political theater after a congressional tour of the facility ended with accusations of inhumane treatment and squalid conditions. 'I wish they would've said that during the Biden administration,' Noem said as Welker repeatedly pressed her about reports of overcrowded cells and unsanitary water sources. According to lawmakers on the tour, more than 30 migrants were packed into cage-style cells with just three combination sink-toilets. Temperatures hovered in the mid-80s inside medical intake tents. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and other insects were rampant. One detainee reportedly shouted, 'I'm an American citizen!' while others chanted 'Libertad!', Spanish for 'freedom.' Welker confronted Noem with such claims: 'Thirty people stuffed into a jail cell? Drinking water from the same place they use the bathroom?' But Noem appeared unshaken and fired back. 'Our detention centers at the federal level are held to a higher standard than most local or state centers and even federal prisons. The standards are extremely high. This is a state-run facility, but it still exceeds the requirements.' Noem stood by the facility and doubled down, revealing that five Republican governors have already spoken with her about using the Florida site as a model.
