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Sense and Nonsense on the Internet
Companion Research Guide:
http://fhsuguides.fhsu.edu/times_talk/truth_or_consequences
SATIRE:1. The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
2. A play, novel, film or other work that uses satire.
The New York Times published the article “Fear of Kim Kardashian’s Derriere”,which included information from a satire news source.
TheWashington Post
Reported that Sarah Palin was
joining Al-Jazeera news, based on a hoax news article
Homer Simpson artwork by Wirgelis: http://fav.me/d2r5914"SarahPalinElon" by Therealbs2002 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SarahPalinElon.jpg#mediaviewer/File:SarahPalinElon.jpg
While arguing against marijuana legalization before the Maryland General Assembly, a police chief cited a hoax article about marijuana overdose deaths.
http://www.capitalgazette.com/cg2-arc-140226cn-hoaxstory-20140225,0,5461072.story
http://dailycurrant.com/2014/01/02/marijuana-overdoses-kill-37-in-colorado-on-first-day-of-legalization/
Image by Eugenia Loli: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eugenia_loli/8340337399/
A
B
C
Juan Pedro
Ramos died
from
anaphylaxis
after eating
some recently
developed
tomatoes
containing
fish genes,
which
provoked a
violent and
lethal allergic
reaction.
A
B
“All other Founding
Fathers are omitted from
the new curriculum in order
to ensure that learning
American history is as
organized and simplified as
possible.”
C
Does the story sound too extreme, silly, or just generally unlikely? Before you click “share”, take a few moments to consider and investigate a bit further. DISCLAIMER: This rule is less helpful in the case of politicians or celebrities ;-)
Who is putting out this information? If it is a website, look for “About Us” or Google the name of the site, publication name, or author.
Don’t buy it just from reading the headline or the first few words. Read it closely and be on the lookout for red flags, such as quotes with no source, lack of citations, or opinions not backed up with facts.
Still not sure if the story is true? Dig deeper--find out if reputable sources are publishing the same story. Search reliable sources available in the library’s databases. If it is an image, try the reverse Google image search or www.tineye.com
Kanye West: ‘I have a better butt’ than Kim Kardashian
(might be hard to determine it’s fake based on content, since Kanye West really does say
crazy things, but a simple look at the About page shows it’s fake)
Sarah Palin to Join Al-Jazeera as Host
First of all, it seems unlikely. As above, checking the About page shows it’s not true.
Perhaps the Washington Post blogger had a bias against Palin that made her more apt
to believe this story. Be careful of being blinded by your own biases—do you want a story
to be true because it confirms your opinion about an issue or person?
Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado on First Day of Legalization
Also easily discredited by checking the source, but there are other red flags, such as
quotes and references about fictional characters (Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, Dr.
Jack Shepard from Lost), cites the Rocky Mountain News which ceased in 2009. Also,
there is little scientific evidence of deaths caused by marijuana overdose. Check
reputable sites such as Medline Plus,
Can your source pass the CRAAP TEST?
Currency: how recent is the information?
Relevance: Does it pertain to your topic or question?
Accuracy: Can you verify it using respected sources?
Authority: What credentials does the author hold? Is he/she an expert or scholar on the topic?
Purpose: Why was it published? To sell you something, change your political opinion, to inform, or entertain? (evidence of bias?)
Just because an article is peer reviewed does not mean that you shouldn’t question it.
The process is rigorous, but not immune from fraud and abuse.
Study published in The Lancet (a peer-reviewed medical journal), February 1998.
Partially retracted in 2004, completely retracted 2010.
Data in study was falsified.
In the meantime, vaccination rated dropped, instances of measles increased.
Be aware of what your own biases are: does that make you more likely to believe a certain kind of article?
In academic work, there is often no black or white answers. It is a constant conversation where answers are often ambiguous.
If you aren’t sure, follow the citations. Librarians are happy to help!
New practices by even reputable sources make it even more vital to be vigilant about what information we accept and share.
A form of advertising meant to match, or blend in with, the platform on which it appears.
Blurs the line between editorial content and business/advertising: a division the press has historically considered indispensable. Referred to as “church and state” to highlight nature of separation.
Photo by United Press, 1948, Records of the U.S. Information Agency National Archives
Is “new media” beginning to see the value of print practices like fact-checking?
“The old guard argued that they were driven by the quest for truth, and by their sense of what citizens need to know to be informed participants in democracy.
Reporting was all about locking down the facts and presenting them to readers, who would know best how to take advantage of the light we shined.”
Digital journalists countered that their way was more honest and democratic—and quicker.
If that meant presenting stories before they’d been thoroughly vetted, that was okay, because the internet would correct itself. Truth would emerge through open trial and error.“
Fisher, M. (2014). Who cares if it’s true? Columbia Journalism Review, 52(6), 26-
33.
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/who_cares_if_its_true.php?page=all&print=true
IT’S DIRTY AND IT’S NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, BUT IT’S INSTANTANEOUS~Ed O’Keefe, 36, a veteran of ABC News now working as Editor in Chief of the website NowThisNews.
“This is no expression of tabloid amorality; O’Keefe is a serious journalist who is trying to find a
standard that works in the new world. He doesn’t want to deliver inaccuracies to his audience.
Rather, he wants to give them the closest version of the truth he can while still meeting them where
they are, which is on their phone, right now. Wait a few minutes, and they won’t be there anymore;
they’ll have moved on to the next story.” (Fisher).
SPEED IS PART OF THE BRAND
THAT MEANS THAT “IF THE TIMES IS REPORTING SOMETHING, IT’S ALREADY VERIFIED.”
Fisher, M. (2014). Who cares if it’s true? Columbia Journalism Review, 52(6),
26-33.
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/who_cares_if_its_true.php?page=all&print=true
IMMEDIATE, FREE
ACCURACY WAIT
PAY FOR QUALITY
We cannot rely on others to vet the information they publish. Even reputable sources can fail to verify their sources. In the end, we each must be responsible for evaluating information and deciding its worth.
Image: https://openclipart.org/detail/1087/Uncle Sam pointing
CBC News. (2015, February 19). Pat Martin’s ‘brief ’ encounter. [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://youtu.be/CKmPqm8aaMk
Chappell, B. (2015, February 20). Canadian lawmaker uses ‘tight underwear’ excuse to explain
absence. [Blog post]. National Public Radio. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-
way/2015/02/20/387747263/canadian-lawmaker-uses-tight-underwear-excuse-to-explain-
absence?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=politics
Editors of The Lancet. (2010). Retraction- Ilial-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis,
and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 375, 445. doi:10.1016/S0140-
6736(10)60175-4.
Education win: This amazing school is streamlining its history curriculum by combining all of the
founding fathers into a single composite character. (2015, February 26). Retrieved from
http://www.clickhole.com/article/education-win-amazing-school-streamlining-its-hist-1970
Emery, D. (n.d.) Hercules, world’s biggest dog? Retrieved from
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dogs/ss/Worlds-Biggest-Dog.htm
Fisher, M. (2014). Who cares if it’s true? Columbia Journalism Review, 52(6), 26-33. Retrieved from
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/who_cares_if_its_true.php?page=all&print=true
Jackson, A. (2014, February 25, 2014). Annapolis police chief apologizes for citing hoax story in
testimony against marijuana legalization. Capital Gazette. Retrieved from
http://www.capitalgazette.com/cg2-arc-140226cn-hoaxstory-20140225,0,5461072.story
Johnson, B. (2015, January 18). Doctors confirm first human death officially caused by GMOs.
World News Daily Report. Retrieved from http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/doctors-confirm-first-
human-death-officially-caused-by-gmos/
Kanye: ‘I have a better butt’ than Kim Kardashian. (2014, November 14). The Daily Currant.
Retrieved from http://dailycurrant.com/2014/11/14/kanye-i-have-a-better-butt-than-kim-kardashian-
2/
King, S. (2013). Lucid stead photo. Retrieved from http://www.cracked.com/article_21047_19-images-
you-wont-believe-arent-photoshopped-part-13.html
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (2014, August 3). Last week tonight with John Oliver: Native
advertising (HBO). [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/E_F5GxCwizc
Marijuana overdoses kill 37 in Colorado on first day of legalization. (2014, January 2). The Daily Currant. Retrieved from http://dailycurrant.com/2014/01/02/marijuana-overdoses-kill-37-in-colorado-
on-first-day-of-legalization/
Parker, S. (2013, February 12). Sarah Palin tries to stay relevant. [She the People blog post]. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-
people/wp/2013/02/12/sarah-palins-when-politics-and-celebrity-meet/
Perry, C. (2013). NASA wallops flight facility. [Photo posted to NASA Instagram account]. Retrieved
from https://instagram.com/p/eKfsSLIaB9/
Russo, J. (2014, March 4). 19 images you won’t believe aren’t Photoshopped (part 13). Retrieved from
http://www.cracked.com/article_21047_19-images-you-wont-believe-arent-photoshopped-part-13.html
Sarah Palin to join Al-Jazeera as host. (2013, February 4). The Daily Currant. Retrieved from
http://dailycurrant.com/2013/02/04/sarah-palin-join-al-jazeera-host/
Smith, P. K., III. (2013). Lucid stead. Retrieved from http://royaleprojects.com/lucid-stead
Sullivan, M. (2015, February 7). Another outbreak of ‘false balance’? [The Public Editor blog post]. The
New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/1IqOma2
Sullivan, M. (2015, January 10). An uneasy mix of news and opinion. [The Public Editor blog post].
The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/1xVFB16
The News Literacy Project. (2014, June 10). Photo fact-checking in the digital age. [Video file].
Retrieved from http://youtu.be/Ewrx1lDhVPE
United Press. (1948). Dewey defeats Truman [photo]. Records of the U.S. Information Agency, National
Archives. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/running-for-office/larger-
image.php?image=45.1
Wadler, J. (2014, November 21). Fear of Kim Kardashian’s derriere. The New York Times. Retrieved
from http://nyti.ms/1xyZsT0
Wakefield, A.J., Murch, S.H., Anthony, A., Linnel, J., Casson, D.M., Malik, …Walker-Smith, J.A. (1998).
Ilial-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in
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