“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” — 1 John 4:1
How do you tell the difference between fake news and accurate reporting?
How would you know if a programme has been honestly fact-checked?
How would you know if the sources are telling the truth?
How would you know if crucial context had been deliberately left out?
How would you know if the “facts” being handed to you were actually just opinions, assumptions, or carefully selected fragments arranged to lead you to a pre-decided conclusion?
Here is one major clue as to how to detect fake news.
ALWAYS ask:
What is the character and spirit of the creators of this broadcast, article, investigation or documentary?
And do not simply take the media outlet’s word for it.
They may claim it is in the public interest — but is it really? Or is it a sensationalist hit piece dressed up as journalism?
They may claim it is educational — but is it actually propaganda, carefully crafted to shape your beliefs?
They may claim it is balanced — but have they selected only the voices, so-called experts and evidence that serve their preferred narrative?
They may claim it is for your protection — but is it actually designed to instil fear, suspicion and paranoia in you?
Because fear is one of the oldest and most effective weapons used to control populations, once people are frightened enough, they become far easier to direct, silence, divide and manipulate.
This is why Scripture tells us not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits. John MacArthur, commenting on 1 John 4:1, stresses that Christians must not be gullible or passive when confronted with teaching, claims or spiritual authority. Everything must be tested against truth. The same principle applies when we are dealing with institutions that claim to inform the public while demanding trust from the public.
As former BBC producer David Keighley wrote recently:
“The same culture that lied to Diana caused Panorama to broadcast a doctored Trump speech — and then hid that fact for six months… The same managerial instincts that closed ranks around Bashir have also dictated the Corporation’s distorted Gaza coverage, its climate alarmism orthodoxy, its systematic smearing of mainstream opinion as ‘far-right’, and its treatment of legitimate public complaints as irritants to be neutralised… The same BBC that deceived a vulnerable princess continues to deceive the nation under the comforting slogan of ‘impartiality’.”
Fake news does not come from nowhere.
Fake news can only come from an organisation, system or culture that is willing to lie, cover up lies, manipulate facts, hide context, smear dissenters and deceive the public in order to advance its own agenda.
That is why the character of the institution matters.
If an organisation has shown itself willing to deceive once, then the public has every right to ask where else that same spirit of deceit has been operating.
This is why we have exposed and coined the BBC Savile Syndrome, because the BBC has not merely made isolated mistakes. It has repeatedly shown the symptoms of an institution capable of concealing abuse, protecting itself, distorting the record and presenting itself as trustworthy while betraying the very public it claims to serve.
The issue is not simply whether one report contains one factual error.
The deeper issue is whether the spirit behind the reporting is truthful, humble and accountable — or whether it is proud, manipulative, defensive and deceitful.
That is how you begin to spot fake news.
You test the facts.
You test the sources.
You test the missing context.
But above all, you test the spirit behind the story.
Related articles:
Former BBC Producer Claims the BBC Has Evolved into a Secular Cult
The BBC Licence Fee Is a “Busted Flush”—And Public Trust Is Collapsing
BBC’s Toxic Culture Under Scrutiny as Further Allegations of Abusive Behaviour Emerge Featuring Victoria Derbyshire
BBC Verify Is Truly Sinister, Warns Former BBC Producer David Keighley
These are crucial lessons that we all ought to have learned growing up, so that we would not have been so susceptible to deceit and lies in the media or from anyone else. I’m grateful that these distinctions are being brought to light, particularly in relation to the BBC as a broadcaster renowned for its splicing and biased reporting.
The BBC culture has not changed! What a key revelation, thank you and thanks to David Keighley. God bless him for exposing the BBC. Wow… how I once truly believed the BBC was a benevolent force for good. But how the rotten fruits fall from the rotten – and in this case toxic – tree. It really does seem that reformation is the last thing on anyone’s agenda at the BBC. So they’ll have to be held accountable for their crimes past and present, through legal and lawful means.
A huge problem is that such wise guidance and instruction just isn’t being taught out there in this world and for decades and decades of media we have been watching and listening with our guards down. We have openly trusted where we ought not have and we have opened ourselves up to being so swayed and duped by the diabolical Establishment mainstream media that it can be hard to accept and wake up out of. Once one does however it can’t be unseen and it’s frightening to realise how much we have been duped and how far that deception has gone. What it’s hidden and has kept from us and led us wrongly to believe that’s impeded and damaged us in so many ways. Thankfully a growing portion are realising this and are growing in number. We must always remain healthily skeptical and question and test every spirit in front of us, especially where they have so much power and come parading as Angels of light. Beware!
Really appreciate the warning when it comes to fake news. Not only that, but the practical guidance is priceless. In these days of deception, we need discernment.
Fake news doesn’t happen by chance; someone decides to create it. That should be obvious. However, I haven’t learned how to distinguish whether information is true or false. Looking at the crimes of the BBC shows how important it is to discern information and to know when to challenge an organisation like the BBC, and when it has gone so far that it even needs to be shut down. They manipulate the public on purpose, and that’s why a BBC class action is so needed: to hold them accountable.
Considering that in the UK alone, adults consume 61 minutes of media input daily, it cannot be taken for granted that we need to know what we are consuming and allowing to shape our beliefs and sometimes actions, is truthful and is not fake news…this awareness and practical examples of how to spot fake news, is indispensable to every citizen!
There’s a very important lesson here, Don’t Be Deceived!, as Jesus Christ tells us. Understanding that there are many entities that are feeding on us while presenting themselves as supporting us. Understanding that reality is crucial in our current lives, so being able to respond in necessary manner. The problem if we don’t see fake news as fake, we become the problem, as we’ll perpetuate that very same lie with in the fake news. We become part of the problem. Like you say, test the facts, test the sources, get the truth.
There is a level of healthy scepticism that we need to ensure that we see the serpent under the lilly. Its key to ask questions of the character of the messenger as well as the message itself, because what is left out, or embellished, or emphasised in a given message can alter the whole meaning of that message.
Thank you for the question in how to detect fake news. I have been brought up in an era that says I must respect my elders and those in authority. That people who write and read the news know what they are taking about and therefore what they say is true. Now, through many updates and articles, you are helping me and those who are reading them, to open our eyes and see the truth, that what we read and see is not always true. Question, don’t take for granted that it is true.
Thank you so much for this. I have tried to put this into practice not just with the BBC but with other news outlets or commentators, and asking what the spirit is and trying to discern where they are coming for and where they are aiming is so helpful to keep a careful eye. With the likes of the BBC, you can always just tell that the spirit is deceitful and above all: self righteous. They are convinced that they are God’s gift to media and the world, and instead they are a blight on our nation, driving division and hatred whilst accusing others of doing just that. I would pray for their reform and I do, but I must admit I feel they are too far gone.
I appreciated David Keighley’s honesty – though it is sad that most ex-BBC’ employees tend to be this honest when they leave the BBC. Perhaps they are so caught up in the BBC self righteousness when there that they lose all self perspective.