Part 1:

1. I am afraid of rodents, especially rats.

2. I am an astrology enthusiast.
3. I am afraid of dark places.
4. I am the type of person who has very high expectations and I find it hard to get
satisfied or be content.

Part 2:

How to Spot Fake News

Here are five things to look out for when determining whether or not something is
fake news:

1. Find the source. Look for the publisher of every story you come across and do a

quick Google search. Is this publisher affiliated with a professional and

established news source or agency? Are they linked to any organization,

company or corporation? Or are they simply small-time bloggers sharing their

ideas on their personal pages? Depending on the content of the story, the

publisher’s background will give you a good idea of how credible the story is.

2. Check the platform. Does the URL of the webpage you’re looking at look a little

funny to you? A professional website’s URL would contain no spelling or

grammatical errors whatsoever, and would end in “.com” or “.com.ph.” depending

on where the publication is based. If the URL you’re looking at is just a string of

random letters or words, or contains enough spelling and grammar errors to

make your old English teacher cry, it’s most probably fake.
3. Pay close attention to the headline and the content. Is the headline out-of-

this-world shocking and punctuated excessively like this?!?!?!?! Does the actual

story sound sensationalized and dramatized? (Almost like you’re reading a

gripping novel rather than a factual and informative article backed by research.) If

so, chances are, the article you’re reading is fake. Remember, reputable news

sources would always have high overall standards – from grammar and tone to

every little period and exclamation mark.

4. Verify the information. Visit several credible news sources and do a quick

cross-check: are they all reporting the same story you’ve just read? If you can’t

seem to find the news bite anywhere else but on the site or page you found it in,

you might want to question its accuracy and credibility.

5. Re-examine your biases. People will tend to believe in what they already

believe to be true. Whether we’re aware of it or not, our personal biases play a

huge role in how we analyze and discern the information we receive online. If a

person or organization we look up to and idolize reposts certain news articles or

updates, we tend to believe that the information being shared is true – even if it

might not be. Likewise, if a person or organization we aren’t so familiar with or

outright dislike reposts the same news article or update, we tend to believe the

information isn’t accurate or credible! And this is how we inadvertently dupe

ourselves into thinking something is fake or real.

Reference:

Manila Bulletin. 2019. How to spot fake news. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from

https://mb.com.ph/2019/09/23/how-to-spot-fake-news/.