That Can’t Be True . . . Can It?

Last March, a terrifying news report went viral. A photo showed a lion prowling a city street. The caption read: “Breaking News: Russia unleashed more than 500 lions on its streets to ensure that people are staying indoors during this pandemic outbreak.”

If you think this story sounds too ridiculous to be true, you’re right.

The truth? Someone found an old photograph of a lion on the set of a movie in South Africa and slapped a made-up caption on it. The “breaking news” was completely false.

Why would anyone make up such a story? And why did so many people believe it?

The spread of inaccurate or baseless stories is nothing new. During the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin drummed up support for the war by publishing false articles about the British. In the 1800s, newspapers competed for readers with overdramatized—and sometimes flat-out invented—stories. In the 20th century, tabloid newspapers printed rumors and gossip. But it wasn’t until the rise of social media that the problem began to spiral out of control.

Today, more than 700,000 hours of video are added to YouTube and millions of posts are shared on Instagram and Facebook—every day. Much of this content contains misinformation, but that doesn’t stop people from sharing it. According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, false stories are 70 percent more likely to be retweeted than true ones.

How does this happen? One reason is money. Advertisers pay to place ads on sites that get a lot of visitors—and one way sites attract visitors is with shocking or outrageous headlines. “Did a UFO Land in Cleveland?” guarantees clicks and shares—and dollars.

Of course, not everyone who shares a fake story does it to make money. So what else makes someone share a story that isn’t true? In many cases, it’s that the person believes the story is true. In other words, they were tricked.

There are many ways fake stories can trick us into thinking they are real. First of all, fake stories are often designed to seem plausible. They might have realistic headlines, graphs, photos, or video footage. So while you probably wouldn’t be fooled by “Flying Cats Found on Mars,” you might believe an official-looking story on an important topic, such as the pandemic.

Then there is the fact that much of what we take in on social media comes from friends, influencers, and celebrities. We trust these people, so we tend to believe what they post and share.

Experts also point out that we like the feeling of having secret information. “If you think you’re the only person who has this information, it’s exciting,” says Aimee Rinehart of First Draft, which works to fight disinformation. “It’s fun to be the first to know.”

Unfortunately, sharing made-up stories can cause real damage. In January 2020, for example, a false story claiming that 5G cell phone towers might be spreading the coronavirus emerged online. The claim was baseless, but that did not stop the idea from spreading. Soon people were setting fire to 5G towers.

The good news is that with a few simple steps, we can all help stop the spread of misinformation. First, take time to evaluate a story before passing it on. Research the author, sources, and site it came from. Find out what reputable sources say about the information presented. (Reputable sources typically include major news organizations, academic institutions, government sites, and primary documents.) A good habit is to wait 30 seconds before you share something. Then ask yourself: Do I know this is real? If the answer is no, don’t share it.

In the case of the lion story, there were clues that it was fake. For one thing, there was no logo or name of any news organization on the photo—and that’s a big red flag. Noticing details like these and doing a bit of extra digging may take time, but when you’re done, you’ll know the truth. And you won’t have to worry about imaginary lions wandering through the streets.

^{This story was originally published in the October 2021 issue.}