Media Literacy and Fake News (1 Viewer)

[Ayo]

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.

Journalism group launches anti-fake news campaign ahead of Canadian election

Recent polling 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.

www.thestar.com

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.

 

[yuyi64]

They must have changed the headline after being exposed.

I don't know if it's even possible for anyone to expose the Washington Post any more than they expose themselves on a regular basis.

 

[GMRfellowtraveller]

I guess the Washington Post would desctribe Jeffrey Dahmer as an austere collector of human body parts.

 

[wardorican]

A side thought. I wonder how much of media bias tends to come from the desire to be contrarian? I see it more from the right leaning sources, as they often react to MSM.

I think if the right was setting the tone, you'd see left leaning sources doing similar.

Contrarian, vs trying to dig further into the truth, to be specific.

 

[yuyi64]

I think if the right was setting the tone, you'd see left leaning sources doing similar.

I don't see that happening no matter what tone the right-leaning media set. Today's left-leaning MSM has a political agenda that they would pursue regardless of what the right-leaning media does.

 

[wardorican]

I don't see that happening no matter what tone the right-leaning media set. Today's left-leaning MSM has a political agenda that they would pursue regardless of what the right-leaning media does.

The left isnt organized enough to push an agenda. Bias and agenda aren't the same thing.

Now, Fox pushes an agenda. Pretty effectively, I might add. MSNBC wishes they could be the left version of Fox.

 

[yuyi64]

The left isnt organized enough to push an agenda. Bias and agenda aren't the same thing.

Now, Fox pushes an agenda. Pretty effectively, I might add. MSNBC wishes they could be the left version of Fox.

It's more than just bias. Networks like MSNBC, CNN, and print media like the New York Times and the Washington Post make a deliberate effort to run with anti-Trump stories on a daily basis even when they haven't been vetted properly (sometimes they turn out to be completely false) or come from a politically-motivated source. Furthermore, the zest and glee with which they report those stories indicate more than just unintended bias.

 

[Beach Friends]

The left isnt organized enough to push an agenda. Bias and agenda aren't the same thing.

Now, Fox pushes an agenda. Pretty effectively, I might add. MSNBC wishes they could be the left version of Fox.

I have seen several instances where someone has collected clips from the different networks, where the different talking heads are eerily saying the same thing, using the same phrases.

Changing gears:

Sam Harris had an execellent interview with a reporter (whose name I can't recall) from Rolling Stone. He was a second generation journalist who had some good insight on how journalism got to the sorry state it is in today.

In short, he points to how 24 hour cable news has contributed greatly to the downfall.

 

[BobE]

 

[Lazybones]

The left isnt organized enough to push an agenda. Bias and agenda aren't the same thing.

Now, Fox pushes an agenda. Pretty effectively, I might add. MSNBC wishes they could be the left version of Fox.

fox pushes agenda in the right

msnbc, cnn, cbs, abc, nyt, npr and on and on and on are at best biased and realistically also pushing an agenda for the left.

 

[Intensesaint]

I'm just happy to finally see people admitting that CNN and others are biased to the left.

Heck even a few years ago on a certain football forum of this really good team from New Orleans, people flat out denied there was any bias at CNN.

 

[Lazybones]

I'm just happy to finally see people admitting that CNN and others are biased to the left.

Heck even a few years ago on a certain football forum of this really good team from New Orleans, people flat out denied there was any bias at CNN.

No kidding, I didn’t realize how quickly things change.

 

[wardorican]

I'm just happy to finally see people admitting that CNN and others are biased to the left.

Heck even a few years ago on a certain football forum of this really good team from New Orleans, people flat out denied there was any bias at CNN.

To varying degrees, and to varying degrees of factual reporting.

And again, political reporting is always difficult because so much hinges on who said what, what it means, and what ii affects. Most of the data requires interpretation.

 

[Beach Friends]

The left isnt organized enough to push an agenda. Bias and agenda aren't the same thing.

Now, Fox pushes an agenda. Pretty effectively, I might add. MSNBC wishes they could be the left version of Fox.

Are you familiar with Media Matters?

 

[wardorican]

Are you familiar with Media Matters?

Yes, a bit. Why?

 

[Beach Friends]

Yes, a bit. Why?

I think they have a lot of connections in the media who are ready, willing and able to get out a unified message.

 

[wardorican]

I think they have a lot of connections in the media who are ready, willing and able to get out a unified message.

Too many competing interests.

Again, no left version of Fox News.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

I have seen several instances where someone has collected clips from the different networks, where the different talking heads are eerily saying the same thing, using the same phrases.

You can see the same thing in talk radio, Facebook posts and message board posts. It's kind of eery.

Changing gears:

Sam Harris had an execellent interview with a reporter (whose name I can't recall) from Rolling Stone. He was a second generation journalist who had some good insight on how journalism got to the sorry state it is in today.

In short, he points to how 24 hour cable news has contributed greatly to the downfall.

24 hour news is the worst. I've been pushing that for years. It makes us dumber.... there's also a heavier reliance on anonymous sources, and a rush to get a story out first without properly vetting sources.

 

[Beach Friends]

Too many competing interests.

Again, no left version of Fox News.

I don't understand how you can say that. MSNBC and CNN went all in on selling the idea that Trump is a Russian stooge. In fact, as soon as the Mueller Report came out their ratings plummeted- they had done little else but sell that narrative.

The New York Times admitted that they were basically geared up for one thing and one thing only - the Russia story.