Media Literacy and Fake News

2019 ◽  
pp. 163-176
Author(s):  
Tracy Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking

“Fake news” isn't a new phenomenon, but it began trending in 2016 during a contentious presidential election. Particularly with the rise of social media, people saw the dangerous impact this movement had, and continues to have on society. People easily bought into false stories, shared them online and even acted on them. Because of this, the importance of fact checking and analysis has surged, and the responsibility falls on both news consumers and practitioners. Additionally, the term fake news has been used repeatedly to inaccurately label news that people do not agree with or do not like. By learning to identify the differences between truth, satire, falsity, dislike, error, and learning why fake news has gone viral, individuals can enhance their media literacy skills. This will in turn improve the media landscape because news consumers will be required to become proficient in knowing how to produce, interpret, and share news in an ethical and honest way.

Media Literacy and Fake News

2018 ◽  
pp. 255-268
Author(s):  
Tracy Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking

“Fake news” isn't a new phenomenon, but it began trending in 2016 during a contentious presidential election. Particularly with the rise of social media, people saw the dangerous impact this movement had, and continues to have on society. People easily bought into false stories, shared them online and even acted on them. Because of this, the importance of fact checking and analysis has surged, and the responsibility falls on both news consumers and practitioners. Additionally, the term fake news has been used repeatedly to inaccurately label news that people do not agree with or do not like. By learning to identify the differences between truth, satire, falsity, dislike, error, and learning why fake news has gone viral, individuals can enhance their media literacy skills. This will in turn improve the media landscape because news consumers will be required to become proficient in knowing how to produce, interpret, and share news in an ethical and honest way.

Fake It “Till You Make It”: Debunking Fake News in a Post-Truth America

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-133
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
First Amendment ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Political Discourse ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
American People ◽  
Fake News ◽  
News Sources ◽  
The Media ◽  
The U.S

Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, attacks on the media have been relentless. “Fake news” has become a household term, and repeated attempts to break the trust between reporters and the American people have threatened the validity of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In this article, the authors trace the development of fake news and its impact on contemporary political discourse. They also outline cutting-edge pedagogies designed to assist students in critically evaluating the veracity of various news sources and social media sites.

scholarly journals Electoral Disinformation: Looking Through the Lens of Tsek.ph Fact Checks

Plaridel ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-295
Author(s):  
Yvonne Chua ◽  
Jake Soriano
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Midterm Elections ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking

Elections are fertile ground for disinformation. The 2019 midterm elections, like the 2016 presidential election, buttress this observation. This ugly side of electoral contests is documented by Tsek.ph, a pioneering collaborative fact-checking initiative launched by three universities and eleven newsrooms specifically for the midterms. Its repository of fact checks provides valuable insights into the nature of electoral disinformation before, during and after the elections. Clearly, electoral disinformation emanates from candidates and supporters alike, on conventional (e.g., speeches and sorties) and digital (e.g., social media) platforms. Its wide range of victims includes the media no less.

scholarly journals Media Literacy Skills and Social Media: A Portray of Teenagers in Urban Area

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.7) ◽  
pp. 236
Author(s):  
Ragil Tri Atmi ◽  
Iswanda F. Satibi ◽  
Indah R. Cahyani
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Media ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
High Level

What we know about association between social media and media literacy is largely based upon case studies that investigate how teenagers’ behavior in digital environment. Although studies focusing on the level of media literacy skills towards social media have been conducted in recent years, much uncertainty still exists about the relationship between the media literacy skills and the use of social media among teenagers. This study aims to contribute to this growing area of research by exploring the level of media literacy skills and motivations among the teenagers towards social media in urban area. A quantitative descriptive survey research design was used to identify, analyze, and describe the media literacy skills of teenagers towards social media. The purposive sampling method was taken to appropriately select an evenly balanced group of participants. In total, 34 students participated, of which 83% living in the rural-urban fringe area, the intersection area between urban and farming field. It is evidently clear from the findings that the average level of media literacy skills among teenagers in urban area is at medium level. There is a high level of information dimension among teenagers, whereas other dimensions are fractionally less popular. On average, the level of dimensional motivations is medium. Teenagers seem to use social media to support their study and socially engage with friends. The result of this study confirm previous studies that focused on the level of media literacy among teenagers towards social media. Analysis of data shows that teenagers acknowledged the benefits of social media. However, no statistically significant difference between the mean sores of four sets of media literacy skills was evident. Media literacy is maturing, as evidenced by the significant understanding of social media in the digital environment.  

scholarly journals Russia’s hybrid invasion in Belarus during the presidential election campaign 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 121-129
Author(s):  
Anastasiya Ilyina
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
Election Campaign ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Informational Influence ◽  
The Media ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Sociology Of Communication ◽  
Presidential Election Campaign

There are various instruments for Russia to have influence on its neighbours, such as using opinion leaders (authorities), intellectuals, and journalists to create a favourable informational context or to place the ordered materials in the media so as to have an impact on public opinion. These are the types of information attacks that can lead to the loss of statehood or the substantial limitation of sovereignty. This hybrid aggression strives to precisely this result. The main questions are: how the Russian information space, mud-slinging and troll farms functioned in Belarus during the presidential election? How the fake news which is produced in Russia impacts societies? Which political scenarios appeared in Belarus following Russia’s informational influence? It is a fact that today the Russian authorities use tools of fake news and propaganda; combined with the extra possibilities of social media. The appearance of fake news is connected with national safety because they jeopardize democratic institutions, lead to the radicalization of society, and change the balance of authority. In the research, the methodologies were used from the sociology of communication, political science and content analysis.

scholarly journals The agenda of disinformation: "fake news" and membership categorization analysis in the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 474-495
Author(s):  
Mônica Chaves ◽  
Adriana Braga
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Redes Sociales ◽  
Membership Categorization Analysis ◽  
Membership Categorization ◽  
Fact Checking ◽  
Do So

One of the main aspects of public debate in Brazil in the period that preceded the 2018 presidential elections was the dissemination of false stories via social media and messaging apps. Disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information – phenomena that comprehend elements such as wrongful, out of context, distorted and fabricated information, among others – were a major concern in the election, highlighted by the number of false stories debunked by independent fact-checkers. In the 20-day period between the two rounds of the presidential election, six fact-checking websites posted 228 verifications of false stories disseminated on social media and/or messaging apps, covering a range of about 132 different topics. This article aims to analyze the categorizations enunciated in their discourses. In order to do so, the methodological perspective utilized was the Membership Categorization Analysis, affiliated with the tradition of Ethnomethodology.A disseminação de histórias falsas em aplicativos de mensagens e redes sociais da internet foi um dos elementos centrais da conversação civil no Brasil no período que antecedeu as eleições presidenciais brasileiras em 2018. A preocupação com a disseminação da desinformação – fenômeno que se compõe, entre outros elementos, por informações erradas, descontextualizadas, distorcidas ou falsificadas – se refletiu na quantidade de histórias falsas verificadas e desmentidas por agências independentes de checagens de fatos. No período de 20 dias entre as votações de primeiro e segundo turnos das eleições, as seis principais agências do país publicaram 228 verificações de histórias falsas disseminadas em redes sociais da internet ou aplicativos de troca mensagens, referentes a 132 diferentes pautas. Neste estudo foram analisadas as categorizações enunciadas nos discursos dessas histórias falsas, com a utilização da Análise de Categorização de Pertencimento (ACP), ferramenta teórico-metodológica de origem na Etnometodologia.La propagación de historias falsas en servicios de mensajería instantánea y redes sociales de Internet fue uno de los elementos centrales de las conversaciones civiles en Brasil durante el periodo previo a las elecciones presidenciales brasileñas en 2018. La preocupación con la diseminación de la desinformación – fenómeno compuesto por informaciones erróneas, descontextualizadas, distorsionadas o falsificadas, entre otros elementos – fue visible en la cantidad de historias falsas verificadas y refutadas por organizaciones de fact-checking. En el período de 20 días entre las votaciones de la primera y segunda vuelta de las elecciones, las seis principales fact-checkers del país publicaron 228 verificaciones de historias falsas difundidas en redes sociales de internet o servicios de mensajería instantánea, relativas a 132 pautas diferentes. Este artículo trata de analizar las categorizaciones enunciadas en los discursos de esas historias falsas con el auxilio del Análisis de Pertenencia Categorial (Membership Categorization Analysis – MCA), herramienta teórico-metodológica que proviene de la Etnometodología.

scholarly journals Fake News in the Ukrainian Media Space: Technologies of Experimental Projects

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Alla Mykolaienko
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Fake News ◽  
False Information ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
System Method ◽  
Media Space ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking ◽  
The Impact

The article considers dissemination of experimental fake messages by research organizations through analysis of media and audience feedback. The objective of the research is to study the main techniques of fake creation on the basis of experimental fakes traced in the Ukrainian information space. The methods used in the article are the following: analysis – to study the state of media landscape as to availability of fake news; the system method – to establish the ways of fake dissemination; the systematization method – to determine fakes’ features and characteristics. The preconditions, reasons and specifics of creation and intentional dissemination of false information in the society are studied in the article. As a result of the research, the role of pilot projects related to fake dissemination as part of popularization of ideas of media literacy and media education has been identified. It is analyzed the impact of experimental fake news on the media and the general public, in particular on dissemination of messages by the users in social networks. Simultaneously the thesis that regional journalists automatically rewrite and repost the Ukrainian mass media is refuted, as we have traced their professional response to dissemination of false information. The verification of facts (fact checking) is mandatory for journalists and necessary for every consumer of information, as making the media responsible for the facts is not an indication of media literacy.

scholarly journals MEDIA LITERACY TOOLS IN COMBATING DISINFORMATION AND FAKE NEWS IN SOCIAL MEDIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 13(62) (1) ◽  
pp. 103-112
Author(s):  
Maria Magdalena POPESCU
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Inaccurate Information ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Cognitive Influence

If mainstream media meant one sender and inordinate receivers, nowadays, new media brought the chance and challenge to have numberless senders and receivers at the same time, in a network of information. Along with polyphonic chunks, inaccurate information penetrates the echo-chambers we create. The danger is that unless timely spotted, it sows disinformation and polarization. The solution resides in media literacy skills, in raising awareness over types of communication products meant for malicious use especially within social media where user generated content contributes to proliferating and spreading the content at incredible speed. The present paper is meant to present ways that help individuals avoid being subject to mal-intended behavioural and cognitive influence.

Tackling online disinformation through media literacy in Spain: The project ‘Que no te la cuelen’

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nereida Carrillo ◽  
Marta Montagut
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Public Deliberation ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Extra Effort ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Fact Checking ◽  
Data Location ◽  
Detection Strategies

Media literacy of schoolchildren is a key political goal worldwide: institutions and citizens consider media literacy training to be essential – among other aspects – to combat falsehoods and generate healthy public opinion in democratic contexts. In Spain, various media literacy projects address this phenomenon one of which is ‘Que no te la cuelen’ (‘Don’t be fooled’, QNTLC). The project, which has been developed by the authors of this viewpoint, is implemented through theoretical–practical workshops aimed at public and private secondary pupils (academic years 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21), based around training in fake news detection strategies and online fact-checking tools for students and teachers. This viewpoint describes and reflects on this initiative, conducted in 36 training sessions with schoolchildren aged 14–16 years attending schools in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. The workshops are based on van Dijk’s media literacy model, with a special focus on the ‘informational skills’ dimension. The amount of information available through all kinds of online platforms implies an extra effort in selecting, evaluating and sharing information, and the workshop focuses on this process through seven steps: suspect, read/listen/watch carefully, check the source, look for other reliable sources, check the data/location, be self-conscious of your bias and decide whether to share the information or not. The QNTLC sessions teach and train these skills combining gamification strategies – online quiz, verification challenges, ‘infoxication’ dynamics in the class – as well as through a public deliberation among students. Participants’ engagement and stakeholders’ interest in the programme suggest that this kind of training is important or, at least, attract the attention of these collectives in the Spanish context.

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