Post on 07-Mar-2021
Fighting Fake News
News Literacy for the 21st CenturyMarcus A. BanksPCI Webinars
Outline for Today’s Talk
Brief biography: My interest in this topic
“Comment is free, but facts are sacred”
False news: An eternal problem
Modern importance of false news
Strategies for determining reliable news
Case studies
Questions and discussion
Brief Biography
“Comment is free, but facts are sacred”
“A newspaper is of necessity something of a monopoly, and its first
duty is to shun the temptations of monopoly. Its primary office is
the gathering of news. At the peril of its soul it must see that the
supply is not tainted. Neither in what it gives, nor in what it does
not give, nor in the mode of presentation must the unclouded face
of truth suffer wrong. Comment is free, but facts are sacred.
‘Propaganda,’ so called, by this means is hateful. The voice of
opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard.
Comment also is justly subject to a self-imposed restraint. It is well
to be frank; it is even better to be fair.” – C.P. Scott, Guardian,
1921. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2002/nov/29/1
False News: An Eternal Problem
Sixth century: Procopius writes dubious information in the Anecdota
1522: Pietro Aretino writes false sonnets to sway the pontifical election
1700s: “Canards” developed in Paris, and thrive for 200 years
January 2017: White House Advisor Kellyanne Conway coins the term “alternative facts”
Source: http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/02/13/the-true-history-of-fake-news/
False News: An Eternal Problem
“The Yellow Press,” 1910. (Library of Congress)
Modern Importance: False News
“A majority of US adults – 62% - get news on social media, and 18% do so often.”
–Pew Research Center, May 2016
Source: http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/
Modern Importance: False News
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fake_news_websites
Modern Importance: False News
Source: http://wapo.st/2lYsEFc (January 5, 2017)
Modern Importance: False News
“Our ‘digital natives’ may be able to flit through between
Facebook and Twitter…But when it comes to evaluating
information that flows through social media channels, they
are easily duped.”
–Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Online
Civic Reasoning (November 2016)
Source: https://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934
Modern Importance: False News
Strategies: Determining Reliable News
CRAAP Test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose
Authority:
Who is the author/publisher/source?
What are the author’s credentials?
Does the URL reveal anything about the source?
Accuracy:
Is the information supported by evidence?
Can you verify the information in another source?
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
Source: https://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf
Strategies: Determining Reliable News
1. Know what type of content you are reading. News report? Opinion piece?
2. Know the sources and why they are being cited
3. Understand the evidence and how it was vetted
4. Decide if the main argument is proven by the evidence shown
5. See if there is anything missing
6. Determine if your daily media diet tells you what you need to know
Source: https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/six-critical-questions-can-use-evaluate-media-content/
Case Study: Clearly False News
“Pizzagate”
Asserted connection between Clinton campaign and pedophilia ring in Washington DC pizza shop
Led to real life visit to the shop by 28 year old Edgar Welch, holding a gun and seeking answers
An entirely false story that spread rapidly
News Source: http://wapo.st/2lYQsZM
Debunking Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory#Debunking
Case Study: More Information Needed
Claim: Trump campaign officials spoke repeatedly with Russian intelligence agents during campaign.
Published in CNN and New York Times
Relied on several anonymous sources
Neither piece alleges collaboration between two groups
Sources:
NYT: http://nyti.ms/2kQXcac
CNN: http://cnn.it/2konVw4
Questions and Discussion
Thank you!