INTRODUCTION TO FAKE NEW, RUMOURS & PROPAGANDA
“Fake news” are news stories that are false, where the story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes. In recent years fake news stories have proliferated via social media, in part because they are so easily and quickly shared online. To an untrained eye fake news may pass as legitimate news sources.
Fake news should not be confused or conflated with propaganda.
Propaganda means information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicise a particular political cause or point of view. It is used primarily to further an agenda - often by presenting facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis or perception to produce an emotional rather than a rational response.
The proliferation of social media such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp has increased political polarisation and the spread of fake news and propaganda. One might hope the free flow of information would translate into a more informed populace that would make more informed choices. However, recent global and national trends show evidence to the contrary.
This course offers tools and strategies to verify stories and images, and help counter the spread of rumours, misinformation and fake news.
MEDIASHIFT
How To Detect Fake News With These Tools and Techniques
Beth Jannery, Sept 7th 2017
Critical Thinking Model
- Read the headline.
- Read the entire article.
- Don’t believe a word of anything you read until you check facts and check sources.
- Are the sources and facts credible? Why or why not?
- Do a quick search engine scan to see who else has covered the story.
- Do you see two sides (or more) to the article?
- Are you being spun? Do you feel manipulated?
- Are other credible news outlets covering the story?
- Is this story a potential fake news story?
Yes, we have to teach our students these cognitive skills, but they can usually catch a fake story quickly once they learn to detect on their own.
Beth Jannery is the Director of Journalism for George Mason University’s Department of Communication. She’s author of the communication textbook What’s the Story? The Art of Writing and Communication. Twitter @Beth_Jannery or Bjannery@gmu.edu
Fighting Fake News: Key Innovations in 2017
The term “fake news” entered the mainstream consciousness in 2016, but it has carried on through 2017, for better or for worse.
Many educators expanded their efforts to teach media literacy, but that’s likely not enough. At the beginning of the year, we asked whether it was possible to solve the problem of fake news at all. That remains to be seen, we look at the some notable projects that are working to do just that.
Bianca Fortis December 28, 2017
Fake News, Alternative Facts, and the world of misinformation
[VIDEO]
BuzzFeed's Craig Silverman explains how fake news is generated and how you can track it in a talk published by the University of Chicago, Insitute of Politics. February 13th, 2017
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION & ONLINE FORUM
- What rumours or stories have you heard that may have been fake?
- Where did you hear them – via social media, in person, over the phone, reported in the traditional media (news sites, radio, tv)?
- How do you decide if the story if true or false?
- Was the story propaganda, and if so can you identify by whom?
- Who does it benefit? Who does it harm?
- What kind of tools do you already have to verify information you receive?
- How did these fake news stories or rumours affect you and the community?
- Are you aware of stories that might be propaganda for a particular interest?
- How do you identify who is the source, and what their intentions are?
