Fake news, real problems: a battle for truth

The era of Industry Revolution 5.0 has shown many advancements in AI, robotics, and data analytics. This era has drastically changed how information is created, shared, and accessed. While these technologies have improved access to information, individuals are fuelled with the spread of fake news. Rand and Pennycook (2021) stated that people often neglect accuracy when sharing information, distracted by the fast-paced nature of social media. Fake news is becoming a bigger problem in Malaysia. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has reported 2,125 fake news between 2021 and April 2023 raising worries for national unity and public safety. Due to this issue, the MCMC is creating legislation to deal with information that jeopardizes racial and religious peace and fake news which will have an impact on Malaysians. One of the most essential practices for avoiding fake news is to verify the source of information. In the age where content is readily accessible across multiple platforms, users must assess the credibility of the source before accepting any information as true. It is important to check if the information comes from a reliable and well-established news outlet or if the source is credible. Websites that lack transparency, have unclear authorship, or present exaggerated claims are often red flags for misinformation. Van Gool et al. (2015), stated that there were numerous users sharing information or news on social media without verifying its authenticity.