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Rumor Guard

Here is a link to The News Literacy Project’s Rumor Guard. This is just one example of the many resources you can find within the News Literacy Project. You can sign up to have this project delivered to your inbox. Remember to consider the source and look for other clues of misinformation when evaluating a news source. Avoid falling into a “rabbit hole” by keeping your emotions in check and using critical thinking when consuming news.

Life After Meta Ends Fact Checking

Since Meta has ended fact checking on it social media sites, it becomes the consumer’s responsibility to discern fact from fiction. Remember – anyone can post just about anything. I don’t personally EVER use social media to get my news. It is fun and beneficial in many ways, such as keeping in touch with friends and family, but not for getting credible news unless there is a link to a reliable source for the story.

Here is part of the response from The News Literacy Project:

Our experts have been speaking out about this topic.

Here’s what Dan Evon, lead writer for RumorGuard®, said in an article published by the Associated Press and widely distributed:

Candid photo of Dan Evon, smiling and facing forward, looking towards the camera.

“Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end Meta’s fact-checking program not only removes a valuable resource for users, but it also provides an air of legitimacy to a popular disinformation narrative: That fact-checking is politically biased. Fact-checkers provide a valuable service by adding important context to the viral claims that mislead and misinform millions of users on Meta.”

For more on this important topic, read News Literacy Project’s full response.

We’re also covering this subject on social media – view our video here. (Make sure to follow us to stay up to date with more content like this!)

In the wake of this development, NLP remains strongly committed to its mission to further news literacy education. We are thankful for your support at the start of this new year.

For a future founded on facts,
The News Literacy Project

Disinformation Disguised as “Breaking News”

“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!

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.

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 a non partisan site but I think we can all agree that truth is important.