[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/received-a-piece-of-alarming-news-think-twice-before-you-believe-it\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/received-a-piece-of-alarming-news-think-twice-before-you-believe-it\/","headline":"Received a Piece of Alarming News? Think Twice Before You Believe It","name":"Received a Piece of Alarming News? Think Twice Before You Believe It","description":"Fill Me In Your phone chimes, and the screen lights up. It\u2019s yet another notification from your WhatsApp group with your extended family, with one of your relatives sending a piece of news that they\u2019ve received. Such messages usually come with fervent warnings \u2013 don\u2019t eat this; don\u2019t open that; something\u2019s going to happen! \u2013 […]","datePublished":"2020-12-21","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/e-lyn-tham\/#Person","name":"E-lyn Tham","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/e-lyn-tham\/","identifier":66,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722f685b02ed9cd4b78c8df212ebc1654b73489382b53ce430214c5fa92c0d0c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722f685b02ed9cd4b78c8df212ebc1654b73489382b53ce430214c5fa92c0d0c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1608521504491_news_fake-news_featured.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1608521504491_news_fake-news_featured.jpg","height":1066,"width":1600},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/received-a-piece-of-alarming-news-think-twice-before-you-believe-it\/","about":["Community","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":790,"articleBody":"Fill Me InYour phone chimes, and the screen lights up. It\u2019s yet another notification from your WhatsApp group with your extended family, with one of your relatives sending a piece of news that they\u2019ve received. Such messages usually come with fervent warnings \u2013 don\u2019t eat this; don\u2019t open that; something\u2019s going to happen! \u2013 that get passed down the chain. Yet, with every game of broken telephone, how do we know what\u2019s true and what\u2019s not?LoboStudioHamburg\/PixabayFiltering out false newsAnd with elderly relatives easily taken in by the persuasive \u2013 and seemingly legitimate nature \u2013 of such messages, how do we ensure that they do not fall prey? Indeed, a study conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) showed that most Singaporeans tended to believe anything they are told, especially if that piece of news is told to them by trusted family and friends.\u00a0The IPS conducted face-to-face interviews with over 2,000 people from 1 November to 31 December 2019. This study examined the effect of false information on Singaporeans, and gauged the tendency of individuals to believe such information.What did the study entail?The study gave participants a fake news article, which they were tasked to analyse and conclude if it was true or false. Some giveaway signs included a clickbait title, an edited URL, as well as the insertion of various made-up names, such as the \u2018Ministry of Health and Hygiene\u2019.\u00a0Are warning bells already going off in your head? Strangely, these telltale signs weren\u2019t as evident to the participants, with a staggering 66 per cent trusting the false news article. The profiles of these individuals comprised the elderly, as well as those that usually trust online information.\u00a0Tracy Le Blanc\/Pexels75 per cent of the participants also previously shared false information via their social media pages, or through messaging apps such as WhatsApp. The source of such information usually came from family and friends, giving them the extra impetus to trust anything that came from such familiar sources.The study also showed that the three topics that people usually believed misinformation about pertained to lifestyle topics, subjects about health and medicine, as well as international and foreign discussions.What can be done to help?Sifting through false news can be easy \u2013 especially if you have a discerning eye. Here are some tips:Always check your sourcesEverything posted on social media \u2013 e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. \u2013 has to come from somewhere. Don\u2019t just look at the title of the article or piece of news; always click in, and check out the source. Print newspapers, radio, and television broadcasts tend to be more legitimate. Plus, don\u2019t forget that this applies to messages sent through WhatsApp or Telegram as well!Geralt\/PixabayA few things to check are the URL, whether there are multiple misspelt words or grammatical errors, any bizarre facts, and so on.\u00a0Always get a second opinionAs with all things in life, sometimes it\u2019s always better to consult a second opinion. One option is to search for related articles, and to check with additional news sources to verify the information.Help each other outWhen you spot your family and friends sharing fake news, always do your part to stop them! More often than not, they\u2019re doing so unknowingly \u2013 and will definitely appreciate the heads-up.What if all that still isn\u2019t enough?Yet, in another light, how do we know our news sources can really be trusted? In 2020, Singapore ranked a dismal 158 out of 180 on the Press Freedom Index, with various \u201cout-of-bounds\u201d topics that are frowned upon. With such regimentation, it\u2019s natural for alternative news outlets to push out their own version of what\u2019s going on in the country.This is where Singapore\u2019s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) comes into play, which exists to help the rampant spread of such misinformation. An instance where POFMA was activated happened earlier this year, where a fake post posited a total of 5,573 confirmed COVID-19 cases, claiming that 1,146 cases were confirmed in a single day.The Government invoked POFMA against The States Times\u2019 Facebook page, requiring them to publish a post containing the accurate and corrected information. In late January 2020, a post on HardwareZone also instigated widespread alarm by propagating false news about Singapore’s first COVID-19 related death. The POFMA office then instructed the online forum to publish a corrected notice, which will be available for all its readers.Rachit Tank\/UnsplashSo, what do you think? Have YOU been a victim of fake news? No matter your stand, always think twice before you believe anything you read! THG’s\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram, and get the latest updates via\u00a0Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Received a Piece of Alarming News? Think Twice Before You Believe It","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/received-a-piece-of-alarming-news-think-twice-before-you-believe-it\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]