We live in an era where the phrase "fake news" is thrown around every time someone doesnt like, or trust, the facts in an article. But lets take a minute and talk about what fake news is and isnt.

Facts matter.

Theyre the basis of what journalists do every day. Find out the facts, report them and inform readers. Its a basic tenant of journalism.

We live in an era where the phrase "fake news" is thrown around every time someone doesnt like, or trust, the facts in an article.

Remember, we do read the comments on The Times Facebook page.

But lets take a minute and talk about what fake news is and isnt.

Fake news isnt a story that doesnt agree with your opinion or politics.

It isnt an opinion column that talks about politics that differ from yours.

In fact, if a story aligns perfectly with your political ideology, you might want to fact check it for accuracy.

Fake news happens when a writer we cringe at calling these bloggers and fabricators reporters uses a sensational headline that doesnt reflect any truth. When there are made up facts in a story, or opinions that are stated as fact. When there are allegations made with absolutely no sourcing.

One of the most important basic parts of a news article is the source its incumbent on reporters to tell readers where theyre getting this information from. Its about transparency, and its one of the biggest ways we as journalists can prove you can trust us.

We know that at this point in the editorial, at least a handful of you are rolling your eyes.

We make mistakes, thats true. Our reporters and editors arent perfect. But not a single person on The Times staff sets out to deliberately mislead readers. And thats what fake news does.

In the past few weeks, our reporters have had to spend more time than usual chasing fake news stories to set the record straight. There was the wildly inaccurate TV news story claiming that the commissioners were shutting down all bars and restaurants in the county. What actually happened was state officials talked with leaders in four suburban counties, including Beaver, about putting some form of restrictions on dining and gathering. Instead, they opted to watch COVID case data for another week before putting a more relaxed plan in place statewide.

Then, there were the social media posts from legislators across the region about people receiving positive COVID test results when they never even were tested. One senator chimed in with a story about how some nurses had submitted tests swabbed on fruit and got a positive.

Then, this week, there was the news blog that posted unsubstantiated headlines claiming Beaver County, among others, would be moved back to "red."

We asked state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, who shared some of those stories on his various social media accounts, how he vets what he shares to his constituents. His answer didnt give us a lot of confidence. Bernstine told our reporter that he shares things he thinks could impact his constituents and then updates the Facebook post after he finds out more information.

But theres a problem with that method, one that everyone should keep in mind when using social media.

By sharing rumors, conspiracy theories and other unverified information, youre pushing all the toothpaste out of the tube. And no matter what you do, you cant put it back in.

When you have 30,000 followers, no amount of edits to your post will change those who saw or shared the original information. And thats a problem.

Just remember facts matter. When youre sharing that unbelievable news story from that site youve never heard of before, think twice about it.

After all, you dont want toothpaste all over your timeline.

Original post:

Our View: Fake news leaves a mess in its wake - The Times