Here's where you get the facts not the fake news

Major publishers have come together with the industry representative body, the News Media Association, to launch ‘Fighting Fake News’, which will run throughout May.

Fake news is a trend that’s becoming a global problem in the fast-paced digital world of the internet and social media.

Sometimes you’ll easily spot these made-up articles, maybe hosted on websites set up entirely for satire, but at other times the material can be manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word.

Take one Bedfordshire-focused spoof news website. They’ve been ‘reporting’ on fires, crime, the arts, and local council matters, among other subjects.

Tucked away in the ‘About Us’ section is the clue that you’ve got to take their articles with a huge pinch of salt... They state: “A spoof news website. Our content is a load of old fictitious phoney. Just to clarify it’s all made up and not to be taken factually.”

However, that caveat can be easily missed and proof that the public can be taken in by fake news comes from the calls received at this office in recent months asking for us to verify if what a person has heard or read about from other sources is true - invariably it isn’t.

Back in the real world there’s only one place to come for a reliable source of news – your Luton News and Dunstable Gazette.

Our newspapers – established in the 19th century and still going strong – and website is a respected and trusted source of news.

We employ professionally-trained journalists to collate and write news articles, demonstrating the difference between what our journalists and brands have to offer against the unregulated world of the internet and social media.

We will report and explain the issues in an entirely neutral, honest and balanced way.

One of the biggest challenges on the patch is the issues with extremism of all varieties.

Both the far right and Muslin extremists have their own agenda to spread fear and loathing. We believe our role is to sift through the outrageous claims and counter claims made by both sides and, if proved to be false, make sure we do not provide them with the oxygen of publicity.

Readers turn to us to ensure their voice is heard, when they want to shout proudly about their achievements, publicise their events, or when they want us to investigate a perceived injustice and seek to hold those responsible to account for their actions.

Our news is the genuine article. Fact - not fake.