In today’s digital world, false, misleading and inflammatory disinformation thrives online. Canadians need to be equipped with simple, straightforward tools to deal with this new digital reality. We don’t need to tell people that fake news is a problem.  Three quarters of Canadians surveyed in December 2018 said they came across fake news at least sometimes, and 57% said they’d been fooled by a fake news post, according to a 2019 CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey. Fake news online is a complex problem, but Canadians are not interested in complex solutions.
News Media Canada is developing the SPOT Fake News Online video, an easy-to-understand program that will encourage Canadians to avoid being susceptible to manipulation online by using the four simple, yet effective steps.
S – Is this a credible Source?
P – Is the Perspective biased?
O – Are Other sources reporting the same story?
T – Is the story Timely?
SPOT Fake News Online – National Campaign
News Media Canada has launched a national campaign to promote this new media literacy tool. SPOT Fake News Online is a multi-faced and bilingual campaign that will be communicated to Canadians through an educational video, a new program microsite www.spotfakenews.ca, and via a comprehensive national advertising campaign in News Media Canada members’ print newspapers and news sites.