Rising Above The Fake News

Fake news has become a rather unwanted phenomenon in the past year and has (even if you haven’t realised it) affected all of our lives. ‘Fake news’ is a neologism which is used to refer to fabricated news, more specifically stories that are published which have limited truth in them or have inaccuracies due to writers not checking the facts before they publish.

High profile, large controversies surrounding the US election and the Grenfell Tower Tragedy have bought the impact of Fake News to the forefront of many people’s minds and now platforms like Facebook are hastily working to try and prevent the virality of fake news stories however they are yet to have much success in doing so. It’s not just politicians and journalists that have been hit hard by the headlines, Starbucks was recently targeted with a hoax whereby tweets were sent out advertising a so called ‘Dreamer Day’. In this hoax the coffee chain said it would supposedly give out free drinks to any undocumented migrant in the US… With careful usage of the company’s logo, signature font and images of their well-known drinks the thread spread at lightning speed and left Starbucks in an understandably sticky situation trying to quaff the rumours.

 

So, where does this leave publishers and writers?

 

With the constantly changing landscape of journalism and marketing it can be hard for an individual or organisation to find their feet at the best of times, let alone at a time where every piece of content created is met with a certain scrutiny and questioning. So here’s some tips on how to rise your proverbial head above the fake news debacle…

  • Have strong stats from credible sources, from the offset this will give your content a sense of authority and reassure readers.
  • Have a narrative. With your stats you really want a good story, 37% of adults note that they remember stories more easily than straight information (rising to 45% of 18–24 year olds). This becomes even more important when writing for a brand. Roughly 31% of people are more likely to buy from a brand which uses a good story in its advertising or news.
  • Make your content exciting! Easier said than done at times we know but everyone loves a bit of excitement and with 29% of adults agreeing that a story without drama is dull it’s imperative you keep your narrative engaging. Just remember to not make it excessive or you risk being accused of creating fake news yourself.
  • Finally, make it shareable. After all social media isn’t just about cute dogs and fail videos. If your content has the ability to be shared to the masses it is more likely to be read and appreciated!

 

Whilst fake news will always exist in some form or another you don’t have to be a victim to it’s plight. If you would like a little help in creating reputable, quality content that your audience will love, give us a shout.

Source nods;
https://www.ft.com/content/afe1f902-82b6-11e7-94e2-c5b903247afd
http://www.berkeley.global/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BER0226-Berkeley-Fake-news-report_AW.pdf