“Doing real journalism is difficult and takes time. But producing falsehoods of almost any sort is comparatively easy and quick. But of all the tactics people use to spread misinformation, pushing out evidence-free assertions might require the least amount of effort. While this tactic is popular, it is also easy to spot and debunk. Just remember to check your sources, look for evidence and slow your scroll on social media to allow time for credible information to emerge.” Newslit.org October 10, 2024. Also check out the Misinformation Dashboard. Better yet, subscribe to the News Literacy Project Newsletter!
Blog
Election 2024
Check out these resources on the News Literacy Project website! They include:
Rumor Guard
Get Smart About News
Election 2024: Be Informed, Not Misled
News Literacy in the Age of AI
National News Literacy Week
Combating COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation
Immigrants Eating Pets?
A neighbor’s daughter’s friend and a post on Facebook causes chaos when people believe without questioning. Click here for a link to the News Literacy website article about this claim. This is another reminder to consume social media posts with caution and skepticism until you can confirm facts from other more credible sources that are non partisan.
AI and the Election
How could AI play a role in our elections and what is being doing to contain its influence?
Tool to Fight Disinformation Shuttered by Meta
Meta has decided to take down a tool to fight disinformation. What could be the reason for this? How does losing this tool help us to know truth from fiction? Read the article from NPR here and then do something to let Meta know this is not okay! This is an non partisan site but I think we can all agree that truth is important.
Partisan news sites outnumber local daily newspapers
News Literacy in the Age of A.I.
Here is a link to the News Literacy Project page where they have listed many resources and information links. https://newslit.org/ai/?utm_source=gsan&utm_campaign=gsan-mar5-2024a&utm_medium=email&emci=775054f3-11db-ee11-85f9-002248223197&emdi=7d5054f3-11db-ee11-85f9-002248223197&ceid=10134608
Is That a Fact?
The News Literacy Project has a podcast series called Is That a Fact? The latest one is Season 3, Episode 5: Opinion creep: How facts lost ground in the battle for our attention.
Why Do People Fall For Misinformation?
 | What causes people to fall for misinformation? While the answer is complex, psychologist Lisa Fazio said one reason is because it’s appealing to the brain. False narratives can “provide simple answers for what’s wrong [in the world] and how they can fix it,” she said. Psychologically speaking, a person who has internalized misinformation can correct their beliefs, but it’s difficult — especially if the falsehoods are closely tied to a person’s identity and emotions Fazio said. Examining information, including where it comes from, and taking a pause when a social media post affects emotions are ways to prevent the spread the misinformation. Source: Get Smart About News Jan. 2, 2024 |
Breaking News? Consume with Caution!
“Major news organizations like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were publicly criticized following coverage of an Oct. 17 blast at a Gaza hospital complex that killed at least 100 people and possibly hundreds more. Initial reports and news alerts conveyed statements from Palestinian officials who said the blast was caused by an Israeli airstrike. But by the next day both newspapers updated their reporting with statements from U.S. and Israeli government officials who claimed to have evidence that Israel was not responsible for the explosion.”
“A Times spokesman said that during breaking news events “we report what we know as we learn it” and that as facts emerged, they continued reporting. This process was slowed by the fact that the site of the blast wasn’t accessible to journalists and by the amount of time it took Israeli officials to release their findings following the quick statement from the Palestinians. However, given the sensitive nature of the news, a Times editor’s note said “editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified.””Major news organizations like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were publicly criticized following coverage of an Oct. 17 blast at a Gaza hospital complex that killed at least 100 people and possibly hundreds more. Initial reports and news alerts conveyed statements from Palestinian officials who said the blast was caused by an Israeli airstrike. But by the next day both newspapers updated their reporting with statements from U.S. and Israeli government officials who claimed to have evidence that Israel was not responsible for the explosion.”
“A Times spokesman said that during breaking news events “we report what we know as we learn it” and that as facts emerged, they continued reporting. This process was slowed by the fact that the site of the blast wasn’t accessible to journalists and by the amount of time it took Israeli officials to release their findings following the quick statement from the Palestinians. However, given the sensitive nature of the news, a Times editor’s note said “editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified.”
It takes time for journalists to gather enough information about a breaking news event, so slow down and wait for updates and confirming reports from other credible sources before you accept the information as fact.
Source: Get Smart About News<[email protected] Oct. 24, 2023
Resource: The Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook
