No fact-checking

Content creators and citizen journalists were supposed to change the world when the internet and pocket-sized writing, recording and publishing tools started becoming ubiquitous about 20 years back. But instead, they have largely become a disservice to the people, as lack of fact-checking and other best practices has made content creators synonymous with disinformation, slander, propaganda and outright lies.

While the problem is particularly pronounced in developing countries like Pakistan due to lack of real internet literacy, the entire world has seen a concerning rise in the number of people being fooled by fake news and disinformation because of limited awareness about basic fact-checking tools and lack of trust in reputable traditional media. In fact, part of the problem is that reputable traditional media will try its best to be factual, even if the facts do not support the popular political narrative. While there have been notable failures, reputable outlets also go to great lengths to apologise when necessary and possible. They also face the risk of losing huge amounts of money for publishing incorrect stories. But content creators usually have no such scruples and are often lawsuit-proof because suing them would usually cost victims more than can be recovered from them in their individual capacity.

The findings of a recent Unesco report also highlight the troubling trend among content creators - about 62% did not even attempt to do any basic fact-checking on the information they were sharing. Over one-third of creators admitted to single-sourcing information. Meanwhile, trained journalists are taught to verify everything. One cliche goes, "If your mother says she loves you, check on it." Even when content creators get it right, they often exaggerate or angle stories for 'likes' and to game the algorithm and increase engagement, making their content less informative and educational and more of a dog and pony show. While there are a handful of creators whose scrupulous adherence to ethical standards restores hope, for now, it appears they will remain oases of truth in a desert of lies.