Social media posts’ favorite tagline is some variation of “The mainstream media won’t tell you this …” followed by text or images of something that may or may not have been covered by traditional print or cable media. And if it is something that hasn’t been covered by the media, there’s probably a good reason for it.
This is true of a variety of topics ranging from disease (think, COVID-19), to protests, to wars like the ones in Ukraine and Gaza. These posts purport to show “true” things that you won’t see on the 11 o’clock news or in the New York Times, then imply traditional news sources are hiding it from you. Or, a post may present an anecdote with the implication that it represents a larger pattern (it doesn’t). And sometimes, these posts just stir up hate and distrust of some “other” group. The one thing these posts have in common: They rely on pathos — an appeal to emotion that bypasses reason or logic.
This has been especially true of the war in Gaza between the terrorist group Hamas and the Israeli government.
Even in those earliest days in October 2023, social media was flooded with images that falsely reported to be one thing or another: Celebrities posted “prayers for Israel” over pictures of decimated Gazan neighborhoods while recycled pictures from wars in Syria or Iraq claimed to be current images from Gaza or Israel. Generative AI (artificial intelligence) has only made things worse by producing realistic photos or even videos — with or without audio — that look stunningly lifelike and believable.
The other issue is that the two primary sources for information in this conflict — Hamas-run agencies and the Israeli government — each have a vested interest in painting themselves in the best light while painting their opponent in the worst. It doesn’t help that roughly 85 journalists have been killed since the fighting started, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Conflicting information and lack of boots on the ground have made accurately covering this war difficult.
As much as people love to bash “the media,” it has an obligation to present facts as accurately as possible with the information available — and it does the best it can. But it can take extra time to get to the truth.
Social media isn’t under the same obligation, largely because the individual posters on social media aren’t obligated to verify before sharing. Any John or Jane Doe can post a clip claiming to tell the “truth” that major news outlets won’t, racking up thousands of likes and shares; outrage translates to higher engagement, which is rewarded by social media algorithms. Major outlets have to verify the information as much as humanly possible before disseminating it to the public. That mission is made harder because several social media platforms limit the distribution of news organizations’ posts.
We must always take what we see and hear on social media with a grain of salt. When in doubt, check if one or more major media outlets (publications or networks like the Associated Press, Reuters, NBC, ABC, CBS or BBC) has the same or similar information. None of us can single-handedly stop misinformation, but we can each do our part by taking a moment to verify before sharing.
