Media Literacy and Fake News (1 Viewer)

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    Ayo

    Spirit Grocer
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    The Canadian Journalism Federation is taking fake news very seriously. I've worked with media literacy for years, and this is - to date - the most expansively public approach that I've seen, in advance of the Federal Election.


    If you are engaged online, you have likely been subjected to something that was not true, and yet there isn't much pursuit in trying to determine factual accuracy of the articles and information. And most of us - probably every single one of us here - have fallen for it.

    Recent polling by Ipsos, Earnscliffe Strategy Group and MIT researchers suggests nearly all Canadians have come across misinformation online, yet only 40 per cent feel they know how to differentiate between fake news and the real thing.

    The polls also found 90 per cent of Canadians admitted to falling for fake news in the past, and only a third of them regularly check to see if the stories they’re consuming are legitimate.

    I don't think that their approach is going to be enough. I think the most effective utility it will have is bringing awareness. But fuller approaches to media literacy are going to be necessary to combat the deluge of increasingly deceptive media. These are hard skills that can be learned, but with the advent of new 'deep fake' technology, media literacy is going to have adapt, too.

    I would like to see greater emphasis on media literacy in the US. Because even though this statement is for the Canadian audience, it definitely - maybe even more so - applies to the US where news is more infotainment and sensationalized than it is up here:
    “To be an engaged citizen, you have to have access to quality journalism… you have to understand what is quality journalism and what is not,” said Richard Gingras, vice-president of Google News.

    Another source includes one approach - the SPOT approach: https://www.manitoulin.ca/news-media-canada-launches-new-tool-to-help-people-spot-fake-news/

    SPOT is an acronym that acts as a simple way to remember the four principles of identifying misinformation. It works like this:
    S: Is this a credible source? Check the source of the article—and be skeptical.
    P: Is the perspective biased? Think critically and look for varying viewpoints on an issue.
    O: Are other sources reporting the same story? Be your own fact-checker and verify the validity of the story.
    T: Is the story timely? Check the date the story was published—sometimes, stories use old information to take advantage of a timely occurrence.

    It's obviously not enough, but a decent start.
     
    This has been a very good activity. I am very proud of my daughter being able to express herself in way that is not combative but challenging thoughts that she doesn’t understand or agree with.
    are you the one who contextualizes those questions she has or do you encourage her to ask the teacher for clarification?
     
    are you the one who contextualizes those questions she has or do you encourage her to ask the teacher for clarification?

    We encourage her to ask questions for clarification and to get a better understanding of the teachers view point. Now of course, we discuss what our thoughts on the subject as well.

    As a traveling Dancer, she is surrounded by teachers and students who are ultra left. So for her it is normal to have civil conversation with those who see things differently. Crazy how easy it is for kids, yet so difficult for adults.
     
    Here is a good example of media literacy
    This document doesn’t say what you’re claiming it says
    I assume it’s talking about algebra starting in the Middle East
    Then arguing that after it’s adoption by ‘western’ education and taught solely you in a way that’s is not inclusive to all learning styles (Einstein’s quip about judging a fish by its ability I climb a tree), it has excluded non-western approaches

    And to be clear the curriculum is for something called ‘math ethnic studies’ and seems clearly taught out of ethnic studies
    It also says math is a means to liberation so it’s clearly not anti math

    This was actually not from an article, it was directly from the Seattle school system. I just don't know why there is an assumption that math is used to oppress PoC.

    And if you look at the document, there is another set of learning targets that seem to question whether there is truth in math and also asks who is to determine what is correct.

    (My guess is that the next time someone tries to short change the author of the document that the author will find a way to argue that math is a lot more objective).


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    This week is Media Literacy Week up here - Oct 7-11

    https://aml.ca/its-media-literacy-week/

    and the focus this year is "fake news"

    Media Literacy Week is an annual national campaign hosted by MediaSmarts and the Canadian Teachers Federation, and supported by collaborators like AML, to promote digital and media literacy, with activities and events taking place in classrooms, libraries, museums and community groups from coast to coast to coast.

    This year the focus is on “fake news”.

    Media Smarts is a Canadian organization that targets media literacy and has a pretty decent website with resources that can be incorporated into pedagogy. But there's a section that is for interested parents:

    https://mediasmarts.ca/parents

    It includes resources for video games, use of social media, cyberbullying, digital citizenship.

    For those of you with kids in your lives, and where there might not be a more robust curriculum for it, it might be of interest. And it serves as a decent in-road for things that we prioritize and tackle, in case anyone interested is curious what some of it might look like, operatively.
     
    This was actually not from an article, it was directly from the Seattle school system. I just don't know why there is an assumption that math is used to oppress PoC.

    And if you look at the document, there is another set of learning targets that seem to question whether there is truth in math and also asks who is to determine what is correct.

    (My guess is that the next time someone tries to short change the author of the document that the author will find a way to argue that math is a lot more objective).


    meme9169305358.jpg
    Again it’s an ethnic studies class, not a math class (I’m pretty sure)
    They seem to be taking an historical approach

    You could have an ethnic studies medicine (or even science) class and arrive at similar conclusions
    And the point in all would be that the PRACTICE of the fields is the issue, not the field in the abstract
     
    Again it’s an ethnic studies class, not a math class (I’m pretty sure)
    They seem to be taking an historical approach

    You could have an ethnic studies medicine (or even science) class and arrive at similar conclusions
    And the point in all would be that the PRACTICE of the fields is the issue, not the field in the abstract

    It seems to me if we are down to having children conjure up ways that people have been oppressed by the practice of math that we need to reconsider that path.
     
    Where does trusting your search engine come in to play when it comes to media literacy and fake news?

    I have been trying to search companies that are supporting the protesters in Hong Kong. Two days ago a google search had produced a site in a search that had a very consolidated list of such companies. Now as of earlier tonight and right now, that site is no longer showing up on google under the same searches. I have the site on my work computer, so I will be able to verify it's still active for some reason and not showing. But if it is, that speaks fairly poorly of google bowing to China and blocking searches that support the protesters.
     
    Do you have any examples of problematic Media Literacy curricula?

    Do you want schools to teach Media Literacy?

    Well, I did notice that in the materials that were linked above that traditional media seemed to be privileged, pushing other forms to the margins.

    I them noticed that one of the documents was published by the New York times. So, I think one has to question what the New York Times would have to gain.

    Now, whether there is something actually nefarious going on there is an open question. Nonetheless, I think I am doing this media literacy thing correctly.

    As to whether I want media literacy taught in school, the answer is I don't know. It all depends on what is being taught.

    I saw some things in the literature that I liked. For example, there was some discussion of how one should be wary of qualifying language one might see in the media such as, "we have been told."

    On the othed hand, I noticed that in the New York Times piece there was a statement that, and I am paraphrasing, even the New York Times, with all of its fact checking and editors, gets a story wrong occasionally.

    It seems to me that this is signalling that mistakes by the New York Times are rare, or at least rarer than one would expect from sources that do not have the resources that the New York Times has. Furthermore, I sense a suggestion that the New York times would only err in good faith considering that it has went to the trouble of having all these editors and fact checkers that others do not.

    Given the New York Times' track record lately, I don't care for my kids being taught that, nor do I trust media literacy "experts" who failed to see those issues.
     
    It seems to me if we are down to having children conjure up ways that people have been oppressed by the practice of math that we need to reconsider that path.
    We already do it for individual kids with different learning styles
    We do it in literature classes, picking texts that are inclusive to the people in the class
    What’s the difference here?
     
    We already do it for individual kids with different learning styles
    We do it in literature classes, picking texts that are inclusive to the people in the class
    What’s the difference here?

    I don't think teaching kids to see racism in everything and constantly search for ways that they have been oppressed is healthy for society or the individuals. It's a risky experiment some are playing.
     
    Well, I did notice that in the materials that were linked above that traditional media seemed to be privileged, pushing other forms to the margins.
    I don't see that. Which specific media outlets do you think are being pushed? Which specific media outlets do you think are being unfairly marginalized?
    As to whether I want media literacy taught in school, the answer is I don't know. It all depends on what is being taught.
    How would you want to see it taught?
    It seems to me that this is signalling that mistakes by the New York Times are rare, or at least rarer than one would expect from sources that do not have the resources that the New York Times has.
    I don't see it as signaling anything. That may be because I don't generally see things in terms of "signaling. I see it as a healthy and honest admission that sometimes people make mistakes. Everyone is going to make occasional mistakes when reporting facts. What's important is that they don't do it intentionally and correct their mistakes after making them.

    Given the New York Times' track record lately, I don't care for my kids being taught that, nor do I trust media literacy "experts" who failed to see those issues.
    Do you distrust all media outlets that make mistakes in their reporting?
    I don't think teaching kids to see racism in everything and constantly search for ways that they have been oppressed is healthy for society or the individuals. It's a risky experiment some are playing.
    I think the same way about teaching them to inherently distrust experts and mainstream media.
     
    I don't see that. Which specific media outlets do you think are being pushed? Which specific media outlets do you think are being unfairly marginalized?

    How would you want to see it taught?

    I don't see it as signaling anything. That may be because I don't generally see things in terms of "signaling. I see it as a healthy and honest admission that sometimes people make mistakes. Everyone is going to make occasional mistakes when reporting facts. What's important is that they don't do it intentionally and correct their mistakes after making them.


    Do you distrust all media outlets that make mistakes in their reporting?

    I think the same way about teaching them to inherently distrust experts and mainstream media.

    I think I have already laid out my concerns adequately. I am okay with us disagreeing.
     
    I don't think that we are well served to just assume that because educators are good folks that they are not susceptible to having their own biases creep in.

    Plus, I think we all have to recognize that there are some approaches to education today that seem nonsensical at best.

    For example, I would definitely wonder what was going on in the classroom if I had a child in the Seattle school system and I saw that the curriculum included presumptions that math is oppressive to people of color.

    Maybe Oye can come along and explain that to me, because I sincerely don't get it.
    How can anyone teach anything then?

    Who or what is the arbiter or truth and non bias?

    I feel like you are trying to set a pretty high standard.

    Otherwise, it is up to individual parents to raise those concerns, and they usually do.
     
    How can anyone teach anything then?

    Who or what is the arbiter or truth and non bias?

    I feel like you are trying to set a pretty high standard.

    Otherwise, it is up to individual parents to raise those concerns, and they usually do.

    I am particularly wary that this subject is susceptible to educators indoctrinating rather than educating.

    I know you are an extremely intelligent person so I am sure you can so why there would be such risks inherent in this subject.
     
    I am particularly wary that this subject is susceptible to educators indoctrinating rather than educating.

    I know you are an extremely intelligent person so I am sure you can so why there would be such risks inherent in this subject.
    What are the inherent risks that you see?

    How do you recommend those inherent risks be kept in check?
     
    Sorry - didn't mean to derail my own thread. I was bouncing something off what JE brought up, when it comes to creativity and how it can be fostered and how creativity can be something to push back against what he called "certainty"

    Because I think that notion of 'certainty' operates against a healthy skepticism, which is critical to media literacy. It wasn't meant to be anti-STEM (not at all, and this would be very apparent with regard to where I work) but rather pro-critical thought which is something found in humanities, too. And that the humanities are generally the disciplines where media literacy is taught and fostered, and another reason why I think they shouldn't be dismissed.

    We need to be less 'certain' and more interrogative as we wade through media messages and equip kids with the tools to be engage critically and that some fixed 'certainty' isn't really the goal.

    And I think JE is onto something when he says that high stakes standardized testing can have an abstract effect on how students view certainty/authority as well as the practical impact on how and what is actually able to be taught.

    Maybe I could have made those links clearer and how I was connecting those points with regard to the thread.
    This is going to be sort of "out there" but it is something I have been thinking about lately and a message board probably isn;t the best place to try and discuss but here goes:

    There is a bias that rns through almost the entirety of our information due to:
    1. There really are actually very few primary sources of reporting on news and events; and
    2. The people writing about these events are basically all from the same "caste" In what might be an outdated term they might be called the " 'liberal' bourgeoisie" or something to that effect.
    The owners of media capital and to some extent, their consumers, demand it.
    A long time ago I used to study South Asian history/philosophy and was interested in Indian Materialism - but quickly found that there were virtually no source material from the materialists themselves. The reason being that the Brahmins were the ones that wrote things and controlled the flow of information, for the most part. And they were vehemently opposed to materialism and hence all you really have today is their criticism of the movement.

    While I don;t think its as drastic as that - there is and almost always has been something similar with the flow of information in this country. Even its recognition, imo, spells a certain bias - given that is exactly what this "caste" is concerned with.

    In some ways, or perhaps many, this is sort of a Marxist way of looking at the media. And what is odd, is I think that when peeling back all the political manipulation of the term there is an intuitive sense of this when people talk about "media elites" and stuff like that.
    Rel fact-checking of that sphere would have to be totally outside of it. I am not sure what that exactly means, though.
     

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