“When we use the term in papers, ‘fake news’ is news content that’s completely fabricated but presented as if it is from a legitimate source…. like the pope endorsing Trump”, said by the assistant professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Regina, Gordon Pennycook.
He is also co-author of a recent paper that was done on stopping the flow of bogus rumors and fake news on social media.
The cannabis industry is already ubiquitous with huge massive misinformation. Moreover, with the lack of extensive clinical research, how will the users and readers separate facts from the fiction?
Let’s see how you distinguish what is the truth amidst all the lies, where there are fake news and alternative facts everywhere.
How to Recognize Cannabis News That Is Fake
We are providing an easy guide here to let you know how to investigate the genuineness of news, as there are times when fake cannabis news starts doing round in various news sites.
- Read Beyond the Headline
This is quite easy to keep in mind. You need to keep your brain turned on while scrolling through a news site, or just some lined-up cannabis contents. Go through the content till its finishing line. Always remember that whenever the news content is mixed with pictures of so many domestic thingies, those particular contents demand a mindset of a reader which is less critical and leaves space for stories regarding how CBD delivered positive effects on chronic ailments of the users.
- Investigate the Author
Each credible news source comes through a by-line. If you find a story that is not that believable, just find the news site that has produced it, check out their page and see the sorts of stories or contents that they generally publish. If you cannot digest the facts that they publish, there may be a red flag.
- Be Cautious about Police Sources
You need to approach the police sources with extra caution. Conventional authorities do not have big statistical issues with lying to prevent the use of cannabis. So, it has chances to be fake if it is coming from the police.
- Look for a GMP certificate for the Products
At least try to find a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certificate. These GMP designations show proof for a product’s been tested inside a laboratory setting by third parties. The ultimate spirit of fake news lies in the products that oversell their potency; you should understand that they haven’t gone through proper testing. And it is very clear that if they have not been doing proper research on their products, they are surely doing it on the consumers.
- Look for Some Scientific Affiliations
If it comes to cannabis and its secondary products, you should look for a company that has an institutional affiliation with scientific boards. A company cannot hold their claims to evidence-based standards if they do not have a qualified medical advisor. Peer-reviewed research regarding this thing is a must. You may use Google Scholar to check if any of these fake dealers are published in the field.
- Read Edgewise
A lateral or edgewise reading is one of the best tools against disinformation. To examine the genuineness, just check out the website and you will get to find whether the other websites are confirming the same thing or not. It is not an easy task to re-create a universe of information. If you tend to take it from only a single source, you are more likely to get hoaxed.
- Beware of Your Partialities
You need to check your prejudices before you make a story. And while reading a story, try to read it out without any partialities and judge it as objectively as possible.
- Keep the Golden Rule in Mind
There’s a saying that “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.” All the sensational things doing rounds on the internet or media is just intentionally sensationalized most of the time.
Conclusion
The manifested lies and modern myths about the marijuana cultivation and their production have been purposefully being spread as there are cold receptions of governments of many countries in legalizing cannabis.
But many of us do not know that the cannabis community has a rich history that can never be deemed by all those fake news and rumors.
