How To Spot ‘Junk News’ In 10 Seconds: Watchdog Group Offers Tips For Readers

“Junk” and “journalism” often appear side by side on a news consumer’s screen these days – and it’s becoming a big problem. The good news? It often takes as little as 10 seconds to tell the difference, experts say.

The Fair Media Council, a watchdog group based in the Tri-State Area, recently shared a list of “How to spot low-quality news” on their website. View it here.

Junk news tends to reveal itself almost immediately, the Fair Media Council says – and most readers will be able to spot clues in the first few paragraphs.

“Professional journalism operates within a structure that includes sourcing standards, editorial oversight and accountability,” executive director Jaci Clement wrote.

“Much of the content circulating online does not,” Clement added.

Here are some of the most common signs that you’re looking at junk news, according to the Fair Media Council:

• Unknown outlet + no reporter byline? Skip it.
• First name + last initial byline? Skip it. Credible journalism requires accountability.
• Only one source quoted? Stop reading and find another article on the topic.
• Sources offering opinions instead of knowledge? Unless you have unlimited time and absolutely nothing better to do, click out of there.
• Everyone quoted agrees? Ignore it. You’re looking at a press release, not news.
• Story cobbled together from reporting done elsewhere? You’ve entered a content farm. Reroute your internal GPS and leave immediately. Aggregation is not reporting.
• Article telling you what to think? That’s not news. Click out.
• Reel of someone providing commentary while a news story plays in the background? That’s usually the work of the worst kind of influencer: a nobody pretending to be somebody talking about something they know nothing about. Reject it.
• “Local news” outlet with no actual news about the locality? That’s algorithm gaming. Egress immediately.
• Reads like a high school essay? Most likely AI slop.
• “Experts say…” but the experts aren’t identified? AI-written copy loves to invent vague authority. Stop reading.

DISINFORMATION IN NEW JERSEY

The Garden State has been waging a years-long battle against inaccurate news.

Several New Jersey universities and colleges have released guides and resource pages to combat “fake news,” including Rutgers University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Seton Hall University.

Some of their suggestions include:

• Emotion? What emoji does it make you want to use? Misinformation, disinformation and propaganda are all designed specifically to elicit a strong emotional response. Check your confirmation bias, approach with informed skepticism.
• Supporting sources? Click on those links. Determine if the information given actually supports the story.
• Consider the source. Click away from the story to learn more about the website, including its stated mission and contact information. For a picture, try a reverse image search to find out where it was originally used, and whether it has been altered.

In 2022, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness announced it was creating an online disinformation portal to identify any “truth-obscuring, manufactured information.”

The effort was launched to address an “onslaught of activity” from sources who have sought to capitalize on spreading disinformation to sow discord within New Jersey, officials said.

“In an age where the public has become increasingly dependent on online forums and social media platforms to stay informed, we all have a higher responsibility to scrutinize the information we’re consuming,” former NJOHSP director Laurie Doran said.

The portal has put out warnings on topics such as deepfake technology, monkeypox and the war in Ukraine – although some people have questioned whether the government is a good resource for debunking disinformation.

Other efforts to combat disinformation have taken place in New Jersey’s school system.

In 2023, state legislators passed a law that requires public schools to teach “information literacy” to students.

“Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformation that is eroding the role of truth in our political and civic discourse,” former Gov. Phil Murphy said after signing the law.

“It is our responsibility to ensure our nation’s future leaders are equipped with the tools necessary to identify fact from fiction,” Murphy said.

• Related: Study Probes Diversity In NJ Newsrooms: Race, Gender, Pay, Turnover
• Related: What News Readers Want: NJ Study Examines Underserved Communities
• Related: NJ Journalists Claim They Were Replaced With AI Reporters
• Related: Map Shows Local News Sources Across New Jersey

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