Cri$calThinkingintheDigitalEnvironment:DiscerningtheTruthinNews

JoyceYukawa,PhD.,AssociateProfessorMasterofLibrary&Informa>onScienceProgram,St.CatherineUniversityHostedbySt.CatherineUniversityAlumnaeCouncilJanuary16,2018Email:jyukawa@stkate.edu

SessionOverview&Goals

•  Importanceoftheliberalartsforcivicpar>cipa>oninthedigitalage

•  Ethical,social,andtechnologicalissuesthataffectonlinenewsliteracy

•  Approachesandtoolstocri>callyevaluateinforma>onfoundonsocialmedia

Evalua$ngInforma$on:TheCornerstoneofCivicOnlineReasoning

“Overall,youngpeople’sabilitytoreasonabouttheinforma>onontheInternetcanbesummedupinoneword:bleak.”

•  Lessthan⅓ofthestudentsfullyexplainedhowthepoli>calagendaofMoveOn.orgmightinfluencethecontentofatweetaboutapollonguncontrol

•  Onlyafewstudentsnotedthatthetweetwasbasedonapollconductedbyaprofessionalpollingfirm

•  Overhalfofthestudentsfailedtoclickonthelinktothepressrelease

StanfordHistoryEduca>onGroup.(2017).Evalua>nginforma>on:Thecornerstoneofciviconlinereasoningexecu>vesummary.Retrievedfromh`ps://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Execu>ve%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf

Evalua$ngInforma$on:TheCornerstoneofCivicOnlineReasoning

“Neverhavewehadsomuchinforma>onatourfinger>ps.Whetherthisbountywillmakeussmarterandbe`erinformedormoreignorantandnarrow-mindedwilldependonourawarenessofthisproblemandoureduca>onalresponsetoit.Atpresent,weworrythatdemocracyisthreatenedbytheeasewithwhichdisinforma$onaboutcivicissuesisallowedtospreadandflourish.”

StanfordHistoryEduca>onGroup.(2017).Evalua>nginforma>on:Thecornerstoneofciviconlinereasoningexecu>vesummary.Retrievedfromh`ps://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Execu>ve%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf

LiberalArts&CivicPar$cipa$on

•  Liberalartsgoalsextendtothedigitalenvironment

•  Informa>onliteracy,aSt.Kate’sLiberalArtsGoal:“Theabilitytogather,analyze,andcri>callyevaluateinforma>on….“

•  Otherliberalartsliteraciesneededtocombatdistor>onsofthetruth:digitalliteracy,poli>calliteracy,historicalliteracy,scien>ficliteracy,transculturalliteracy,amongothers

•  Librarianssupportnotonlyinforma>on&digitalliteraciesbutalsolifelonglearning

ChallengestoInforma$onConsumers

Informa$onoverload Exponen>alincreaseininforma>on,globalusergeneratedcontent,speed&easeoftransmission,disparatepiecesofinforma>on,tensionbetweenspeedvs.accuracyinfiltering&verifyinginforma>on

Confirma$onbias Overcomingourownbiasesindeterminingwhatistruthful

Filterbubbles Algorithmsfilterwhatispresentedtousbasedonourpreferencesandpastviewingbehavior

TheDigitalNewsEnvironment

Post-truthenvironment “Alterna>vefacts,”fakenews

Viralpostsonsocialmedia Communica>onspeed,globalreach,trolls,socialbots

Par$sangatekeepers Informa>onoverload,poli>cal&socialdivisiveness,tradi>onalnewsgatekeepersokenbypassed

Weaponiza$onofsocialmedia ISISrecruitment,RussianinterferenceinUSelec>on

Cri$calroleofverifica$on Bypeopleaidedbytechnology

TypesofMisleadingNews

Falsenews Deliberatemisinforma>onintendedtomisleadinordertogainpoli>callyorfinancially

Misleadingnews Somebasisinfactbutdistortedortakenoutofcontext

Highlypar$sannews Seriousmanipula>onoffactstoserveapoli>calagenda

Clickbait Sensa>onalheadlinestogetthereadertoclickonthelink

Sa$re Notintendedtoberealnews

Mistakes Honestmistakesmadeinrepor>ngbreakingnewsquickly;crediblejournalistscorrecttheirmistakes

“Fake”news2016 Newsfromcrediblesourcesthatisrejectedandlabeledfake

Truthinnewsisonacon$nuum

Source:VanessaOtero’snewsmediacon>nuum:h`ps://twi`er.com/vlotero/status/809098741647077376

TopFakePoli$calNewsStories2016

“ObamaSignsExecu$veOrderBanningthePledgeofAllegiance”

“ObamaSignsExecu$veOrderBanningthePledgeofAllegiance”

Acloserlookshowsthisissa$re

URL:h`p://abcnews.com.co/obama-execu>ve-order-bans-pledge-of-allegiance-in-schools/

Thissiteisnowdefunct;youcanviewarchivesintheWaybackMachine.

Whoistheauthor?

Tracebacklinksinthestory

“ObamaSignsExecu$veOrderBanningthePledgeofAllegiance”

Topsearchresultsarefromfactcheckers

•  Searchothernewssourcestoverifythestory

•  Searchexactphrasesfromthear>cle(inquotes)

•  Doareverseimagesearch

Usesearchenginesto:

“ObamaSignsExecu$veOrderBanningthePledgeofAllegiance”

Howandwhydidthisfakestorygoviral?

•  2,177,000Facebookshares,comments,andreac>ons

•  Par>sanwebsiteslinkedtoandrepostedthestory

•  Confirma>onbiassostrongthatreadersdidn’treadbeyondtheheadlinebeforesharingandcommen>ng

•  Trollsincitedemo>onalresponses

•  SocialbotsincreasedthenumberofFBresponsesbyspreadingthenewsintargetednetworksandlikingandcommen>ngonpostsrelatedtothestory

NewsLiteracyPrac$ces

Evaluatethesource

•  IstheURLques>onable?•  Istheauthornamedandthusaccountable?

•  Istheauthorajournalistwithprofessionalresponsibilitytoverifyinforma>on?

•  Isitarepostorretweetfromsomeonewhohasnowayofknowingiftheinforma>onisreliable?

•  Isitfromapar>saninadisputeoranindependentsource?

VerifytheQualityofEvidence

Readbeyondtheheadline Doestheheadlinematchtheinforma>oninthear>cle?Areothernewsoutletsrepor>ngit?

Checkthedate Oldstories&eventscanresurfaceascurrent.Checklinks&readcarefullytodeterminewhenitactuallyhappened.

Tracebacktooriginalsources Examine&evaluatelinkedsources

Arequotesauthen$c? Usesearchenginestodoaverba>msearch

Arephotoscredible? Doareverseimagesearch

ConsultFact-CheckersandExperts

Fact-checkers

• Snopes• FactCheck.org• Poli>Fact• WashingtonPostFactChecker• Snopes'FieldGuidetoFakeNewsSitesandHoaxPurveyors

Experts

• Askexpertsyouknow• Researchwhatexpertssay

NewsLiteracyEduca$on

CenterforNewsLiteracy StonyBrookUniversity,MakingSenseoftheNews:NewsLiteracyLessonsforDigitalCi>zens

PoynterIns>tute Interna>onalFact-CheckingNetwork,Freecourses&webinarsonfact-checking

Journalist’sResource HarvardKennedySchool,ShorensteinCenterFakenewsandthespreadofmisinforma>on

NewsLiteracyProject checkologyVirtualClassroom(middle&highschool)

SocialMediaFightsFakeNews

Facebook Workswithfact-checkingorganiza>onstoflagfakenews

Changeditsalgorithmsfortrendingnews

Blocksadsthatlinktofakestories&websitesthatsharefakenewsRevealedRussianelec>ontrolls

Instagram CrackingdownonfakeinfluencerswhopayforlikesfrombotsGoogle Changingitssearchalgorithmaidedbyhumaneditors&user

repor>ng

Twi^er RecentlyjoinedFB&Googleinusing“trustindicators”

Wikitribune JimmyWales’sitetosupportcollabora>onbetweenprofessional&ci>zenjournalistsonbreakingnews

FacebookrevealsRussianelec$ontrollstoitsusers

Cons>ne,J.(2017,November22).FacebookwillshowwhichRussianelec>ontrollaccountsyoufollowed.Retrievedfromh`ps://techcrunch.com/2017/11/22/russian-trolls/

NewsMediaFightswithTheTrustProject

TheTrustProject

Trustindicators

Collaborators

Facebook,Google&Twi^er

Interna>onalconsor>umofnewsorganiza>ons&theMarkkulaCenterforAppliedEthicscollabora>ngtocreatestandardsoftransparencyinjournalismthroughtheuseof“trustindicators.”

Adherencetojournalis>cstandards,iden>fyingtypesofcontent,providingreferencesforin-depthstories,showingifastoryislocallysourced,sta>nghowthenewsroompromotesdiverseperspec>ves.

TheEconomist,TheGlobeandMail,theIndependentJournalReview,MicMedia,Italy’sLaRepubblicaandLaStampa,andTheWashingtonPost,BBCNews

Asofmid-November2017,plantousethe“trustindicators”tohelpusersevaluatethereliabilityofthepublica>onsandjournalistsbehindar>clesappearinginnewsfeeds.

Summary:Whatwecandotokeeptruthinnews

•  Learnaboutalgorithmsthatfilterwhatyouseeonline

•  Becarefulaboutwhoyoufriend

•  Watchoutforsocialbots

•  Readbeforesharing

•  Fact-check

•  Evaluateinforma>on

•  Beskep>cal

•  Seekinforma>onbeyondyourfilterbubble

•  Useverifica>onandeduca>ontools

•  Understandandspeakoutontheneedfornewsorganiza>onsandsocialmediasitestotakeresponsibilityforcomba>ngfakenews

Beinforma+onliterateandliberalartsliterate

MasterofLibrary&Informa$onScienceProgram

•  36-creditprogram

•  Informa>onmanagement,literacy&learning,socialjus>ce,research&analysis,useoftechnology,leadership

•  Preparesstudentstoworkaslibrarians&informa>onprofessionalsindiversesetngs,notonlypublic,school,academic&corporatelibraries,butalsowithnonprofits,digitalcollec>ons,museums&archives,socialmediasites…

•  AccreditedbytheAmericanLibraryAssocia>on

ReferencesBessi,A.,&Ferrara,A.(2016).Socialbotsdistortthe2016U.S.Presiden>alelec>ononlinediscussion.FirstMonday,21(11).

Retrievedfromh`p://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/ar>cle/view/7090/5653

Braucher,D.(2016,December28).Fakenews:Whywefallforit.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-ac>on/201612/fake-news-why-we-fall-it

Brooking,E.T.,&Singer,P.W.(2016.November).Wargoesviral:Howsocialmediaisbeingweaponizedacrosstheworld.TheAtlanIc.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.theatlan>c.com/magazine/archive/2016/11/war-goes-viral/501125/

Burkhardt,J.(2017).Comba>ngfakenewsinthedigitalage.LibraryTechnologyReports,Nov/Dec.2017.

Calfas,J.(2017,April25).Googleischangingitssearchalgorithmtocombatfakenews.Retrievedfromh`p://fortune.com/2017/04/25/google-search-algorithm-fake-news/

Facebooknowflagsanddown-ranksfakenewswithhelpfromoutsidefactcheckers.(2016,December15).Retrievedfromh`ps://techcrunch.com/2016/12/15/facebook-now-flags-and-down-ranks-fake-news-with-help-from-outside-fact-checkers/

Fiegerman,S.(2017,November16).Facebook,Google,Twi`ertofightfakenewswith'trustindicators’.Retrievedfromh`p://money.cnn.com/2017/11/16/technology/tech-trust-indicators/index.html

Kiely,E.,&Robertson,L.(2016,November18).Howtospotfakenews.Retrievedfromh`p://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/

Lintao,C.(2017,July3).Instagramiscrackingdownonfakeinfluencers.Retrievedfromh`ps://thenextweb.com/insider/2017/07/04/instagram-is-cracking-down-on-fake-influencers/#.tnw_Da4cuvoJ

Maheshwari,S.(2016,November11).Howfakenewsgoesviral:Acasestudy.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.ny>mes.com/2016/11/20/business/media/how-fake-news-spreads.html

MarkkulaCenterforAppliedEthics.(2017).TheTrustProject.Retrievedfromh`ps://thetrustproject.org

Oremus,W.(2016,December6).Stopcallingeverything“fakenews.”Retrievedfromh`p://www.slate.com/ar>cles/technology/technology/2016/12/stop_calling_everything_fake_news.html

Palma,B.(2017,August28).Facebookintroducesmeasuretoblockadver>sementsfromsitesthatsharefakenews.Retrievedfromh`p://www.snopes.com/2017/08/28/faceboo-to-block-ads-fake-news/

Pariser,E.(2011).Thefilterbubble.NewYork:PenguinPress.

Popken,B.(2017,November30).Russiantrollspushedgraphic,racisttweetstoAmericanvoters.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/russian-trolls-pushed-graphic-racist-tweets-american-voters-n823001

Silverman,C.(2016,December16).These6easystepswillhelpyouspotfakenewsevery>me.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/detect-fake-news-like-a-pro?utm_term=.ecy2KOabQ#.gsZGnAWB3

Silverman,C.,&Singer-Vine,J.(2016,December16).Thetruestorybehindthebiggestfakenewshitoftheelec>on.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/the-strangest-fake-news-empire?utm_term=.yx2kOg49n#.xeGop2vZ8

StanfordHistoryEduca>onGroup.(2017).Evalua>nginforma>on:Thecornerstoneofciviconlinereasoningexecu>vesummary.Retrievedfromh`ps://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Execu>ve%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf

Summers,N.(2017,April24).Wikipediaco-founderlaunchesWikitribunetofightfakenews.Retrievedfromh`ps://www.engadget.com/2017/04/25/wikitribune-fake-news-jimmy-wales/

Willingham,A.J.(2016,November18).Here'showtooutsmartfakenewsinyourFacebookfeed.Retrievedfromh`p://edi>on.cnn.com/2016/11/18/tech/how-to-spot-fake-misleading-news-trnd/

Thankyou!

JoyceYukawa,PhD.AssociateProfessorMasterofLibrary&Informa>onScienceProgramEmail:jyukawa@stkate.edu