Many years ago, my mum used to read a weekly magazine. I forget the name now. It was a Tamil tabloid that carried news on politics, celebrity and lifestyle interspersed with some bizarre short stories. What I remember most is my mum reading, half-believing and relating the whacky snippets to me. The ones that jump to mind are the giant man who couldn’t stop growing, the woman who gave birth to a monkey baby, and the cat with a human head. All with pictures to boot. They were, of course, not real. Or at least that’s what I used to tell my mum rather dismissively.

The cat I got. It could be any cat with a superimposed human head. The people? I didn’t quite get. Were they real people? They looked real enough. So, why would they be involved and/or lend their faces to such tall tales. I assumed they would have family, friends, and colleagues, who knew and recognised them. And, probably discredited them. Wouldn’t that be shameful? Wouldn’t that hurt their reputation? My rational brain considered.  But went no further. Because I didn’t believe the stories. And, I didn’t care enough about who these people were.

To be fair, fake news, false information, tall tales, propaganda and doctored pictures and photos are not new. They just seem to be more ubiquitous because we now have wider and easier access to them. Internet connects people, communities, companies and countries online.  Social media enables people, communities, companies and countries to share information, opinions, photos, and events in real-time on the internet. 

Websites and blogs (like this one) can be easily established and operational in a short space of time. There is little or no regulation or editorial standards or requirements. As an ex-journalist for a print newspaper, accuracy (facts, figures, quotes) and credibility (source of information and references) were standards that had to be adhered to. It was par for the course to check, double and triple check the written word. Being accurate meant my stories contained information that were backed by fact and figures, and could be verified by the people and companies that I interviewed and questioned at press conferences. Of course, back then, misreporting used to have consequences – retractions and legal actions – depending on the magnitude of the inaccuracy and parties impacted.

There are also no real barriers to entry. In Malaysia, a permit is required to print, import, publish, sell, circulate or distribute, any newspaper printed in Malaysia or Singapore… [1]. The permit can be revoked if the publisher runs afoul of guidelines. There is also a huge investment in raw materials, plant, office and staff. Additionally, a network of vendors, newsagents and retail outlets is required to distribute the hardcopy newspapers and magazines. Publishers rely on advertising, subscription and other marketing initiatives to keep them in business. Over the years, and more so recently, the number of newspapers and magazines that have folded is proof of the increasing might of online publishing.   

Today, people can write, publish and share pretty much what they want. Register on social media websites like Facebook, WeChat, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tumblr, and anyone is good to go. These social media platforms have millions of registered users. It’s mind boggling the information, stories, news, photos and videos shared in this enormous global virtual market.

Sadly and unscrupulously, there are people, companies and countries that purposely produce and publish borderline truths, outright lies, sensational news, parody and propaganda. Clickbait and Deepfake are also peddled online. Clickbait refers to articles, photographs etc. on the internet that are intended to attract attention and encourage people to click on links to particular websites[2]. Deepfake refers to videos in which the face and/or voice of a person, usually a public figure, has been manipulated using artificial intelligence software in a way that makes the altered video look authentic[3].

Why? Other motives and agendas aside, there is big demand and big money in news/information/visuals that go viral. Viral stories are quickly read and shared by online readers. The more views, the more clicks, the more likes, the more advertising revenue online publishers and/or writers can earn. The content and visuals are so well produced, it’s difficult, sometimes, to differentiate fact from fiction.

So how?  I don’t usually share. At least not to all and sundry. I don’t forward messages and information that I am suspicious about. If a topic interests me, and I am wary of the facts presented, I check other, hopefully, credible sources to satisfy my own curiosity. There is too much bombardment of information online. I keep it simple by being selective. I only read what I want to and feel I need to. Even that is too much.