Is what you usually read online factual?

What makes you click on content online? (say a news article, a video, a post on social media, or a podcast). Most recently, social media was flooded with posts suggesting that because there's less pollution, it was possible to view Mount Kenya from Nairobi. While many people dismissed the same, having an understanding of the background, experience, and authenticity of the photographer by reviewing previous content online could be helpful in telling whether the assertion was true or not. Furthermore, there also tools online that are mostly used by news editors to check whether an image could have been lifted elsewhere and shared by a content creator.

For instance, doing a reverse image search on Google (images.google.com) could show the origin of any given image. Additionally, doing a background check on authors and online writers is useful in telling whether their content could be relevant or useful in various contexts.

A little while back I was part of an online discussion organized by The Writers Guild Kenya to sensitize members on best practices in writing and content creation. It was emphasized that writers should dwell on content that they have authoritative knowledge of, relevant exposure, and experience in especially if they would like to be recognized as experts in a particular field. As the old saying goes, "what's down in the well comes up in the bucket."

More on the same here: https://www.writersguild.co.ke/i-want-to-write-where-do.../.

For more resources on content creation you can review the following platforms:

1. Google Publisher: helps in audience profiling and content monetization

2. Google Scholar: to review scholarly articles, research papers, and journals

3. Google Newslab: provides a platform for journalists and news writers to collaborate

4. Google Alerts: to create email alerts on a particular topic such as technology, cars, football e.t.c

#YALI_Network has created a short quiz to help people understand the importance of identifying if information that they come across is true so as to prevent the spread of misinformation and fake news. You can learn more about the same by clicking the link below.

https://yali.state.gov/checks/