Fighting Fake News

News Literacy for the 21st CenturyMarcus A. BanksPCI Webinars

Outline for Today’s Talk

Brief biography: My interest in this topic

“Comment is free, but facts are sacred”

False news: An eternal problem

Modern importance of false news

Strategies for determining reliable news

Case studies

Questions and discussion

Brief Biography

“Comment is free, but facts are sacred”

“A newspaper is of necessity something of a monopoly, and its first

duty is to shun the temptations of monopoly. Its primary office is

the gathering of news. At the peril of its soul it must see that the

supply is not tainted. Neither in what it gives, nor in what it does

not give, nor in the mode of presentation must the unclouded face

of truth suffer wrong. Comment is free, but facts are sacred.

‘Propaganda,’ so called, by this means is hateful. The voice of

opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard.

Comment also is justly subject to a self-imposed restraint. It is well

to be frank; it is even better to be fair.” – C.P. Scott, Guardian,

1921. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2002/nov/29/1

False News: An Eternal Problem

Sixth century: Procopius writes dubious information in the Anecdota

1522: Pietro Aretino writes false sonnets to sway the pontifical election

1700s: “Canards” developed in Paris, and thrive for 200 years

January 2017: White House Advisor Kellyanne Conway coins the term “alternative facts”

Source: http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/02/13/the-true-history-of-fake-news/

False News: An Eternal Problem

“The Yellow Press,” 1910. (Library of Congress)

Modern Importance: False News

“A majority of US adults – 62% - get news on social media, and 18% do so often.”

–Pew Research Center, May 2016

Source: http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/

Modern Importance: False News

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fake_news_websites

Modern Importance: False News

Source: http://wapo.st/2lYsEFc (January 5, 2017)

Modern Importance: False News

“Our ‘digital natives’ may be able to flit through between

Facebook and Twitter…But when it comes to evaluating

information that flows through social media channels, they

are easily duped.”

–Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Online

Civic Reasoning (November 2016)

Source: https://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934

Modern Importance: False News

Strategies: Determining Reliable News

CRAAP Test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose

Authority:

Who is the author/publisher/source?

What are the author’s credentials?

Does the URL reveal anything about the source?

Accuracy:

Is the information supported by evidence?

Can you verify the information in another source?

Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?

Source: https://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf

Strategies: Determining Reliable News

1. Know what type of content you are reading. News report? Opinion piece?

2. Know the sources and why they are being cited

3. Understand the evidence and how it was vetted

4. Decide if the main argument is proven by the evidence shown

5. See if there is anything missing

6. Determine if your daily media diet tells you what you need to know

Source: https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/six-critical-questions-can-use-evaluate-media-content/

Case Study: Clearly False News

“Pizzagate”

Asserted connection between Clinton campaign and pedophilia ring in Washington DC pizza shop

Led to real life visit to the shop by 28 year old Edgar Welch, holding a gun and seeking answers

An entirely false story that spread rapidly

News Source: http://wapo.st/2lYQsZM

Debunking Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory#Debunking

Case Study: More Information Needed

Claim: Trump campaign officials spoke repeatedly with Russian intelligence agents during campaign.

Published in CNN and New York Times

Relied on several anonymous sources

Neither piece alleges collaboration between two groups

Sources:

NYT: http://nyti.ms/2kQXcac

CNN: http://cnn.it/2konVw4

Questions and Discussion

Thank you!