A few weeks ago, I received a message on WhatsApp from a fellow academic educator sharing a video with me. The clip related to the COVID-19 crisis and featured some surprising news about a key US health official. It offered some contrarian views and seemed to be credible and take a new perspective on the topic, so without much thought, I forwarded it to a few close friends who, like me, appreciate the plurality of opinions. Two hours later, my fellow educator sent me another WhatsApp message: “Don’t watch the video — fake news.”
I immediately forwarded the warning to my friends, who fortunately hadn’t watched the video yet. Later on, I felt angry about myself. I had let my guard down. I should have practiced what I preach. I should have engaged in critical thinking to avoid falling into the fake news trap in the first place and then help to spread it around. So, I resolved to review my approach to counter fake news and to write this article to share my strategy with you.
