Hi Steemians! I don't feel well today, but in honor of hustle week, let me share with you a little bit of my frustration in today's world. I promised myself not to get too political in Steemit, and I will continue to uphold that. This article is less about politics but ethical standards. I encourage everyone to be critical of everything they see in the news, and even be more critical of what I'm about to say.

Being critical is not being doubtful. Being critical is being cautious and analyzing the content that is presented. Since Steemians are also bloggers, writers, and researchers; I believe that we all should have this trait. Also important: Do not downvote / flag an article just because it does not share the same belief as you. If you see a Steemit post that you do not agree with, simply have a civilized conversation in the comments section. Engage with that person.

For the record, fake news has already been around for a long time. Political superpowers utilize "black propaganda" to misrepresent political oppositions. However, the "fake news" situation that we have in modern times is at its worst. Let me explain why.

"We have access to a lot of information — arguably more than at any previous time in history." - Erin Brodwin, Business Insider

Overloaded with information that far exceeds the capacity of our attention span, only the information that appeals most to our emotions stands out. Truth is often painful, and lies are usually crafted in such a way that it merits attraction.

With the power of the Internet, anyone can simply create articles. This is actually great for us bloggers! Sadly, many use this power for the wrong reasons - to spread fear and hatred. In social media, marketing matters more than quality. Most users don't even read the article anymore; they can already assume stories in their head just by simply reading the provocative / misleading headline.

"Fake news offers a comforting view of the world. It gains traction because it appeals to our emotions, and tells us what we want to hear." -Nicole Curato, CNN

My friend, the gift of free speech is powerful

— and with great power comes great responsibility. It is YOUR responsibility as a blogger to fact-check everything that you have researched. Ask questions and do not be quick to conclude. Is the author credible? Are there supporting evidence supporting such claims? Did you watch the full footage of the interview instead of just the highlights?

So the next time you hear, Politician X resigns! You heard it here first! You've only probably heard it there for a reason. If someone says Corporation X is violating Article 263 of the Philippine Constitution, but you know that there are only 18 articles in the Philippine Constitution, stay away from that "journalist"!

Or maybe, you could thank that "journalist" for adding 245 new articles to the Philippine Constitution:

The post has already been deleted,
so thanks to Alyssa Faye Cabalang for the screen capture

I hope that you have learned something today. If there is something that you disagree with, let me know by replying below! :)

If you have found value in this blog, please give an upvote / resteem - it would really mean a lot to me and it helps other steemians get value from this as well :) Otherwise, please do give a feedback on how my future posts can be improved! Either way, thank you for reaching the end of this post, and please follow my account as I'll be creating more articles like this. 'Til next time :D

Sources
[1] Why do fake news make the headlines?, CNN Philippines
[2] There's a fascinating new explanation for why fake news goes viral, Business Insider
[3] How to Spot Fake News, FactCheck.org

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PS: This week is my HUSTLE WEEK

I also wanted to share that I have set really ambitious goals for myself this week. One of them is to create well-researched, high-quality posts once every workday (Monday-Friday) of this week. I realized that haven't been posting as often as I wanted to. I included this in my post so you guys can hold me accountable :) This is already my fourth article of the week. Wish me luck!

Check out my blog if you're curious about what I've written this week!