December 31, 2019, when the World Health Organization (WHO) first reported the rapid

increase in the number of pulmonary cases circulating around the City of Wuhan, in the province
of Hubei, China, with an unknown cause. In due course, the mysterious disease was first coined
as the 2019 novel coronavirus, which eventually, and at present, we so-call the coronavirus
disease or COVID-19. It is an illness caused by a type of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2).
With the COVID-19 pandemic flouncing the sphere, the same contamination of fright
and ambiguity has taken root, circulating like wildfire beyond social media and giving rise to
scads of mis-and-dis-information. 16th of March this year 2020 when Presidential Spokesperson
and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador San Buenaventura Panelo in a press
briefing asserted that eating bananas and gargling salt water could kill coronavirus. With this, he
said that he picked up the purported remedies from the internet. His words, “May nakita ako sa
internet iyong saging pala magandang panlaban daw, eh ako kain nang kain araw-araw ng
saging,” He added, "Naging ugali ko na mag-gargle ng salt water. ‘Pag nakakaramdam lang ako
ng kaunting sipon, nag-ga-gargle ako. Sabi ni Dr. [Health Secretary Francisco III] Duque,
puwede rin daw iyon, okay daw iyon kasi ang una raw na pinupuntahan ng virus iyong throat
natin eh.”
Two days later, the Department of Health averted the two questionable recommendations
the presidential spokesperson had endorsed in public. Moreover, they accentuated that there is no
evidence and no proper research done that could provide hard science or substantiation that
eating bananas and gargling salt water will prevent the transmission or ward off a person from
accumulating the said virus. Consequently, it appears, and it can actually be established, that Sec.
Panelo’s statements were a pure hoax – fake news.
How to prevent this from happening? Here are some tips on how to spot fake news.
1. First off, let us define what if fake news.
a. Fake news websites are websites that deliberately spread hoaxes, propaganda, and
disinformation.
b. Fake News sites are different from satirical sites like ‘The Onion’, a humor-based
website.
c. Fake News stories usually spread through social media sites like Facebook,
Twitter and Reddit.
d. Often, fake news will mimic real headlines and twist the story.
2. Differentiating the True, the Fake, the Bad, the Biased
a. Fake News - refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise
of being authentic news
b. Bad News - refers to poorly reported news, which can be true but does not show
the correct support to verify it
 c. Media Bias - information that is unfair, unbalanced or incomplete in its discussion
of an issue
d. Editorial Perspective - Every reporter, editor or publisher has a point of view
e. Satire - the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or
deriding vice, folly, etc.
f. Clickbait - a sensationalized headline or piece of text on the Internet designed to
entice people to follow a link to an article on another Web page
3. What Makes a News Story Fake?
a. It can’t be verified - A fake news article may or may not have links in it tracing its
sources; if it does, these links may not lead to articles outside of the site’s domain
or may not contain information pertinent to the article topic.
b. Fake news appeals to emotion - Fake news plays on your feelings – it makes you
angry or happy or scared. This is to ensure you won’t do anything as pesky as
fact-checking.
c. Authors usually aren’t experts - Most authors are not even journalists, but paid
trolls.
d. It can’t be found anywhere else - If you look up the main idea of a fake news
article, you might not find any other news outlet (real or not) reporting on the
issue.
e. Fake news comes from fake sites - Did your article come from mercola.com?
Realnewsrightnow.com? These and a host of other URLs are fake news sites.
4. Why spread fake news?
a. Sometimes these stories are created to attract an audience and the advertising
revenues that come with it. Sometimes these stories are published to harm
someone’s reputation.
b. Sometimes for the sake of money.
c. Sometimes to stir up emotions.
5. So how to spot fake news?
a. If you see a story, check who is reporting it. If it’s a mainstream source, chances
are, it’s true. If it’s a site you’ve never heard of, be skeptical. Look closely at the
URL A phony or look-alike URL may be a warning sign of false news. Many
false news sites mimic authentic news sources by making small changes to the
URL. You can go the site and compare the URL to established sources.
b. Investigate the source Ensure that the story is written by a source that you trust
with a reputation for accuracy. If the story comes from an unfamiliar organization,
check their ‘About’ section to learn more.
c. Consider the photos False news stories often contain manipulated images or
videos. Sometimes the photo may be authentic, but taken out of context. You can
search for the photo or image to verify where it came from.
d. Inspect the dates False news stories may contain timelines that make no sense, or
event dates that have been altered.
e. Watch for headline and content typos. Watch for excessive punctuation!!!!!
Watch for biased vocabulary. Be skeptical of catchy, sensational, and
unbelievable headlines False news stories often have catchy headlines in all caps
with exclamation marks. If shocking claims in the headline sound unbelievable,
they probably are.
f. Check the evidence Check the author’s sources to confirm that they are accurate.
Lack of evidence or reliance on unnamed experts may indicate a false news story.
g. Look at other reports If no other source is reporting the same story, it may
indicate that the story is false. If the story is reported by multiple sources you
trust, it's more likely to be true.
i. Don’t just rely on one source- see if other sources report on the same
thing. If your first source is lesser known, see if two mainstream sources
report the same story. See if the source is an article or an opinion piece. If
it is an opinion piece, seek out a news article on the subject as well. Check
sources mentioned in opinion pieces to ensure they are reliable. See if it’s
reported in a print source, like a newspaper.
h. Is the story a joke? Sometimes false news stories can be hard to distinguish from
humour or satire. Check whether the source is known for parody, and whether the
story’s details and tone suggest it may be just for fun.
i. Some stories are intentionally false Think critically about the stories you read, and
only share news that you know to be credible.
j. Before you share a dubious story, ask yourself if there seems to be something
fishy about it. See if you can find anything about it at Snopes.com or another fact-
checking sites. There are three great fact checking sites you should be aware of:
i. Snopes.com: Checks everything from political news to viral stories.
ii. Politifact.com: Pulitzer prize winning fact checking site.
iii. Factcheck.org: Fact checks politics and science stories.