Why we must fight fake news

The rise of the internet and social media, for all their benefits, means there is more fake news out there than ever before.

Filtering out the noise to get to the truth is not always as easy it sounds. And it is more important now than ever

For more than 140 years, The Gazette has been a trusted source of news, reporting the facts and standing up for Fylde coast residents.

That could be exposing wrong-doing, highlighting the important issues of our time or helping support the fantastic work being done in our community by the people who live and work here.

For the third year in a row, The Gazette has teamed up with the Swallowdale charity to hand out thousands of pounds to groups working to support children and young adults across the Fylde coast.

This money has already helped hundreds of people and made a real difference in the community.

And last month a Gazette investigation highlighted the effects the dangerous ex-legal high Spice is having on vulnerable people in Blackpool – and the resort more widely.

It was a story that contributed to the wider national debate on the drug over the following days.

Our work to uncover the cost of policing the on-going fracking demonstrations has sparked lively debate over the strain placed on our police – and who should foot the bill.

Other recent investigations include a report on the cost of health tourism to our local hospital.

We revealed how foreign patients not entitled to free healthcare from the NHS walked out of Blackpool Victoria Hospital with unpaid bills adding up to more than £150,000 – some of which had been written off by cash-strapped health chiefs.

With politicians quick to throw around figures, only for someone else to almost instantly rubbish them, it can be difficult to know who to trust.

The facts are out there but often hidden in a sea of fake news.

At The Gazette, skilled reporters work hard to deliver the news that matters to readers. They tackle the topics that affect people’s lives.

And, crucially, they ensure it is news our readers can trust.

Sadly, that is not always true of so-called news that can often be spotted doing the rounds on social media.

That is why The Gazette joined local and regional titles up and down the country to launch the ‘Fighting Fake News’ campaign.

We believe honest, impartial reporting is absolutely vital and our communities would be worse off without it.

That ethos is at the heart of what we do and it is something well worth standing up for.

Related articles:

Support trusted local journalism

Trusted tales in an age of fake news