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Endless Curiosity: The Science of Fake News YouTube video by Indiana University

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Endless Curiosity: The Science of Fake News YouTube video by Indiana University

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Endless Curiosity: The Science of Fake News

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CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg in a speech to the joint senate committee in 2018:

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CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg in a speech to the joint senate committee in 2018:

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Social media can be used for harm in the form of “fake news, foreign interference in elections, and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy” (Kurtzleben, 2018).

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The documentary discussed how many of the people behind these technological advancements could not anticipate the harm they would bring to society but that does not mean they are not to blame.

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The screen is becoming the most "relevant" place for finding information

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The screen is becoming the most "relevant" place for finding information

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Survey of 4,581 U.S. adults social media news consumption in 2018

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Social media acts as a conduit for fake news because “more than 40 percent of visits to 65 fake news sites come from social media” (Kurtzleben, 2018).

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In the words of Katharine Graham, “truth and news are not the same thing.”

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Audience impatience for quick news leaves little room for accuracy and fact-checking

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Audience impatience for quick news leaves little room for accuracy and fact-checking

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Fake news is impactful because “misinformation disseminated through social media channels can have consequences for national politics and international relations” (Lee, 2018) as evidenced by the 2016 election and propaganda from other countries.

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The information we access affects our opinions!

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The information we access affects our opinions!

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Advertising companies have noticed the shift to online news and have used it as a way to profit

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PROBLEM:                                    Social media companies have a responsibility to produce news that offers more than one perspective

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PROBLEM:                                    Social media companies have a responsibility to produce news that offers more than one perspective

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PROBLEM:                       Leads to an inability to think critically for oneself and be accepting of multiple perspectives

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PROBLEM:                       Leads to an inability to think critically for oneself and be accepting of multiple perspectives

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Having an algorithm determine the news consumption is dangerous territory. This is the case because fake news has the power to “shape discourse around people and policy” (Johnston, 2020). 

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Having an algorithm determine the news consumption is dangerous territory. This is the case because fake news has the power to “shape discourse around people and policy” (Johnston, 2020). 

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PROBLEM:               Minorities can be silenced and the most popular, most shared, and most powerful ideas shape the future regardless of whether they are “correct.” 

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PROBLEM:               Minorities can be silenced and the most popular, most shared, and most powerful ideas shape the future regardless of whether they are “correct.” 

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“Conspiracy theories and other forms of misinformation spread unchecked due to our tendency to affiliate and identify with groups” which “is often amplified by social media” (Beasley). 

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“Conspiracy theories and other forms of misinformation spread unchecked due to our tendency to affiliate and identify with groups” which “is often amplified by social media” (Beasley). 

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One research study found that “the actions of other users in the comment section of fake news articles significantly influences peoples’ attitude towards disinformation, as well as their intentions to comment and share the fake news” (Colliander, 2019)

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One research study found that “the actions of other users in the comment section of fake news articles significantly influences peoples’ attitude towards disinformation, as well as their intentions to comment and share the fake news” (Colliander, 2019)

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Social media companies should monitor comments on fake news posts!

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Social media posts often tag people in sources that share the same opinion as a previous read source and exclude opposing viewpoints (Lewandowsky et. al, 2012).

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A successful democracy is dependent on an educated population!

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A successful democracy is dependent on an educated population!

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REAL ISSUES THAT FUEL FAKE NEWS

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SOLUTION:                      Hold Social Media Platforms Accountable!

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SOLUTION:                      Hold Social Media Platforms Accountable!

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Work to improve both the platforms and the people who are consuming news on them
- Resources to upstream claims that users can easily manage
- Monitor comments on fake news posts
- Explain and inform why a post is false versus just flagging the post
- Have accessible reliability scales on articles

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What Is Media Literacy?Media literacy is the concept of being “concerned with the creation, production, reading, communication and critical assessment of media and texts (Hagel, 2015)” (Johnston, 2020). 

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What Is Media Literacy?Media literacy is the concept of being “concerned with the creation, production, reading, communication and critical assessment of media and texts (Hagel, 2015)” (Johnston, 2020). 

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“Adults, non digital natives, and older adults in particular, are a vulnerable population when it comes to online risks” (Lee, 2018).

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“Adults, non digital natives, and older adults in particular, are a vulnerable population when it comes to online risks” (Lee, 2018).

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For people who might not be able to access education as easily, social media platforms should consider providing users with resources to guide them in the process of upstreaming claims. Perhaps providing these self-guided fact-checking resources will allow people to feel some level of control so that they do not feel the media is “brainwashing” them and the content they engage in.

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Improved media literacy programs are important because they encourage individuals to not just take a source at face value, but uncover where the source came from. One article states that it is “important for students to be able to evaluate claims than sources” because in order “to assess the veracity of a given source’s claims, students often have to consult other sources” (Gooblar 2020).

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Not everyone will be willing to participate in the solution of educating themselves and/or utilizing services on social platforms that can aid in fact-checking. However, if improvements are made and awareness is raised the issue and spread of fake news can be lessened!

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Education has the power to unite people, inform them, and move them on a forward trajectory

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Education has the power to unite people, inform them, and move them on a forward trajectory

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Establish better media literacy education in order to inform society of how to recognize and react in the face of fake news

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Media Bias Chart

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The Media Bias Chart

The Media Bias Chart was created by Ad Fontes Media, an independent media watchdog organization dedicated to educating the public about news literacy.

The goal of this chart is to provide a tool for the analysis of news articles and news sources to determine the reliability of information. It asks readers to rank articles based on political bias and the reliability of information - facts vs. opinions.

You can use the blank chart, bellow, to help analyze articles you find online. Further down you'll find how Ad Fontes Media rated the most popular news organizations and why.

Media Bias Ratings

Here you can see where Ad Fontes Media rates the reliability and bias of popular news sources. These ratings are based on reviewing articles published by those sources.

The creators of the Media Bias Chart recognize that everyone has bias, and that bias will mean they rate the reliability of bias of articles differently. To counteract this, they try to get ratings from people of all political leanings and backgrounds to rate articles. They are also constantly updating the chart based on new ratings and reviews. You can find the ever-changing, interactive version of this chart on their website.

Where would you place your favorite news source on this chart? Is it different than where Ad Fontes' reviewers placed it?

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Library Home: Fake News: The Media Bias Chart

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Skip to main content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.