Becoming a Smart News Consumer: Felipe Zambrano Of Garrick Solutions On How To Spot Disinformation, Fake News, And Conspiracy Theories
An Interview With David Leichner
Understand Bias and Perspective: Recognize that all news sources may have some degree of bias. Be aware of the political stance of a news outlet and consider how it might influence the way stories are reported. One example to prevent this is to focus on consuming information from a variety of perspectives, in order to develop a well-rounded understanding of events.
In an era where information is abundant yet misinformation is rampant, the ability to discern fact from fiction has never been more crucial. The spread of disinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories can have profound impacts on our elections, healthcare systems, and national security, influencing public opinion and decision-making on critical issues. As news consumers, how do we develop the skills to navigate this complex information landscape? As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Felipe Zambrano.
Felipe Zambrano is the President of Garrick Solutions, a management consulting firm focused on helping business owners gain time back and increase productivity by 30% through automation and process improvements. Felipe is an open-minded and driven leader with experience in managing companies, leveraging technology for efficiency optimization, and a passion for embracing challenges fearlessly.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I’d love to. I’m American Colombian, growing up between Bogota, Colombia, and South Florida. Having Latin American roots, instilled on me the importance of family and strong values. It also taught me about diversity and differences in perspectives. After graduating from university, I had the opportunity to work in the airline industry, and traveled quite extensively, as well as lived in the Middle East and India. I am truly grateful for this opportunity. As a result of these life experiences, I’m comfortable with being different, being uncomfortable, and I think in this day and age be more accepting and understanding of people from other cultures, political affiliations, religions, and places of upbringing.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
That’s a great question. I think that nothing could have prepared me to live in Mumbai, India for a year and a half. Coming from South America or the US, Mumbai was a bustling city that never sleeps. Extremely chaotic, always active. I learned the importance of building relationships and understanding that you have to truly care about others for them to trust and open up to you. I was a business advisor at the time, focused on helping an Indian airline back to profitability. I was tasked to oversee and manage $220m in cost and revenue initiatives. It was a big task, and some might say impossible, not being Indian, and at first being considered as an outsider.
Once most of the senior leaders knew I had an apartment close to the airport, and commuted daily, they then started to open up more, and I earned more their respect and trust. Here in the US, we’re very straightforward and down to business. This was an eye-opening experience.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Currently we’re doing discovery work for a client to implement an AI or Natural Language Models for a specific product for personal development. It’s extremely exciting, as this is a vast new field with possibilities for all industries. I’m also working with another client in the healthcare industry, looking to implement AI and chatbots into their operations. There are exciting new technologies, for example recording live surgeries, to then be able to store and keep “highlights” for further review and procedure improvement. Think of it like “highlight reels” from professional sports. Very exciting. I’m truly passionate about driving transformational change, and helping business owners and executive leaders gain new insights as to how to better leverage technologies and processes for their businesses.
Ok, thank you. Let’s now move on to our main topic. For the benefit of our readers can you tell us a bit why you are an authority on the subject of countering disinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories?
Certainly, all throughout my life I’ve been exposed to different perspectives, whether it was because of my cultural background or because of my career taking me to the large corners of the world. Being exposed and living in different places helps you see the world differently, be more openminded, as well as more respectful and accepting. I believe when people don’t step out of their comfort zone, or have a very small social circle or environment, this can lead to biased perspectives heavily influenced by your surroundings.
One thing is to make a comment about people from certain nationalities, but then never have traveled there, or met with people to understand why they think the way they do, or be more inquisitive in understanding, versus simply judging. I love diversity, and ultimately, we’re all more like each other than we think. We just need to see past stereotypes, and the media that portraits different groups of people as opposite or negative.
This may seem obvious but it is helpful to articulate it. Can you tell us a bit why disinformation and fake news is so harmful for our society? Can you share some examples?
Sure. It’s a very difficult time, as information is pushed onto us through social media channels. The large issue that we have is that we take information from the sources that we like as “truths”, when in reality they are merely opinions or one side of the coin. The problem is that people stop thinking for themselves, and merely follow what their favorite Instagram of YouTube personality does, feels, or thinks. People are blindly following others without thinking of how they feel, and their opinion towards certain subjects. There are always several sides to the story, and we need to truly validate these “experts” or people that make comments, to make better decisions for our lives and those around us.
Why do you think this has become such a huge problem in recent years?
I believe this problem has grown exponentially, because anyone can now simply leverage their preferred social media platform to blast news and comments about anything, and if you have enough followers people can be easily influenced. How can someone speak negatively about the economy if they don’t know the full picture. Unfortunately, there are countless fact less claims being made by people who might be heavily biased.
How does one distinguish between credible news sources and those that are prone to spreading disinformation?
The first step is to look at the reference or experience of the person making comments. What is their education and experience to make them experts in a particular subject. I personally believe social media platforms aren’t a credible news source, as people can write while being in an emotionally charged state, versus journalists working for news companies or digital and printed publications. Also, content that is written in a very emotional tone, or looking to get an emotion out of the reader could be considered disinformation. Through journalism there must be an objective way of presenting news, and thereby letting the reader make their own decision. Sadly, I think several news outlets utilize charged messages to gain following and support.
What exactly is the problem with conspiracy theories? Why can’t a conspiracy be true?
Conspiracy theories can be true. Usually, it can be labeled as such by the party wishing to keep this truth from being considered a fact out in the open. I think conspiracy theories usually don’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that something did or didn’t occur. As a result, there’s usually a gap to prove that the statement is true or not. I believe this is the problem of conspiracy theories.
What psychological factors contribute to the belief in and spread of conspiracy theories?
I believe charged emotions towards a specific individual, group or topic contributes to the belief and spreading of conspiracy theories. If someone feels passionately towards something, then a conspiracy theory can help add fuel to that idea to get the person more emotionally charged. We see that constantly with regards to our politicians.
Can you give us a few ways to identify or spot fake news and disinformation? If you can please give us some examples.
Yes, it’s important to learn the background of the person providing the information and content to be digested. What experience do they have that makes them knowledgeable individuals of the subject. In addition, it’s important to read opposite points of view, to understand what the other side is thinking. Fake news and disinformation can also hide truths or facts, to further embellish their story. I would suggest reading content, stop and digest it, and then evaluate whether it was emotionally charged or not. How did you feel after reading the content? Then search for the opposite point of view, what did you think of the other side? Who’s right? Do you feel as you did when you only read the first point of view? These are critical questions to help people think in an unbiased way.
Can you give us a few ways to identify a conspiracy theory? If you can please give us some examples.
I think lack of information, or withholding certain facts can draw out the conspiracy theory. Is the content emotionally charged? Does it make you feel anger or fear, or distrust towards someone or something. Also, if the content doesn’t reference trusted sources and makes baseless claims. Validate your statements by facts or referencing other publications such as the Wall Street Journal, or the Associated Press.
What should one do after they have identified disinformation? Should they simply ignore it?
I think it would be good to share that knowledge with others, in order to avoid the spreading of disinformation amongst your social circle. Unfortunately, in the US because of the freedom of speech people have the right to speak and distribute misinformation, as long as you’re not discriminating against someone.
Can you please share your “5 Things Everyone Should Know To Become A Smart News Consumer?”
1 . Diversify your sources: Read news and content from opposite media outlets. For example, read the same story on Fox News and MSNBC.
2 . Fact Check: Perform a fact check on the people making claims and statements. Perform a search on the journalist to see what prior work or experience they have that makes them a credible expert or source for information. Be wary of information that lacks proper attribution or credible sources.
3 . Check for Credibility: Avoid social media from non-experts. It’s very common for people to be opinionated and share their points of views via Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, or Snapchat stories. These short clips are usually emotionally charged. Focus on structured written content, provided by a reputable media outlet.
4 . Be aware if content is considered “advertisement” or “Sponsored Content” This might contain misinformation. If you see on the top right that the content was sponsored or advertisement, then you must take a step back, and evaluate if this information is 100% truthful.
5 . Understand Bias and Perspective: Recognize that all news sources may have some degree of bias. Be aware of the political stance of a news outlet and consider how it might influence the way stories are reported. One example to prevent this is to focus on consuming information from a variety of perspectives, in order to develop a well-rounded understanding of events.
In your opinion, what role do social media platforms play in the propagation of fake news, and how can they be held accountable?
Social media platforms are popular for sharing news, but they are one of the main sources of misinformation. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for anyone to have an opinion and be heard by millions of people. That leads to charged statements and comments made without being factually checked. Now most people consume all news as facts, rather than taking the time to validate the stated claims by referencing certain studies, findings, or live examples. Social media platforms should be accountable by private organizations and should seek to eliminate disinformation amongst their members. It is their responsibility to prevent people from using the social media platforms to communicate misinformation.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would suggest others to spend time with different types of people, from different walks of life, culture, and upbringings. I would suggest working remotely and living abroad, whether it’s Europe, the Middle East, Asia, or South America. Being exposed to other perspectives is what helps you see past your own biases and understand that you might never have 100% of any story. I wish for everyone to get out of their comfort zone. As the famous author Stephen Covey once said, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” You might also find exciting new things you haven’t tried before, because you’ve been in your small circle. Expose yourself to new and different things, and that will help you uncover more about yourself.
Keep learning, keep growing, keep being uncomfortable.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Check out my YouTube channel where I post content on how to grow as an individual and as a business leader. You can also check out our company website at www.garricksolutions.com.
I’m happy to answer and brainstorm with anyone that might be interested. I love learning and helping others grow and self-develop. My personal email es felipe@garricksolutions.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.
This was very inspiring and informative. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this interview!
About The Interviewer: David Leichner is a veteran of the Israeli high-tech industry with significant experience in the areas of cyber and security, enterprise software and communications. At Cybellum, a leading provider of Product Security Lifecycle Management, David is responsible for creating and executing the marketing strategy and managing the global marketing team that forms the foundation for Cybellum’s product and market penetration. Prior to Cybellum, David was CMO at SQream and VP Sales and Marketing at endpoint protection vendor, Cynet. David is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Technology College. He holds a BA in Information Systems Management and an MBA in International Business from the City University of New York.
Becoming a Smart News Consumer: Felipe Zambrano Of Garrick Solutions On How To Spot Disinformation… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.