Fighting Fake News: The Cognitive Factors Impeding Political Information Literacy

Abstract This comparative cultural study examines differences in digital citizenship between undergraduate information literacy students at two different, but similar, universities across the globe from each other. Under the notion that the internet and prevalence of mobile devices allow students to participate online as digital citizens in ways that were impossible before, we use mixed methods to compare the attitudes and experiences of undergraduate students at a university in the midwestern United States (U.S.), with a university on the southwestern coast of Ghana. We also examine the policies related to technology use at these schools. The findings indicate that Ghanaian students had higher levels of digital citizenship. Other findings suggest that network issues are a problem for students in both schools, especially for Ghana, and ethical aspects of internet use, like cyberbullying, hacking, and fake news, deter students from participating online as much as they would like.

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Young Spanish Adults and Disinformation: Do They Identify and Spread Fake News and Are They Literate in It?

Publications ◽

10.3390/publications9010002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 2

Author(s):

Aida María de Vicente de Vicente Domínguez ◽

Ana Beriain Beriain Bañares ◽

Javier Sierra Sierra Sánchez

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Information Literacy ◽

Quantitative Method ◽

Spanish Population ◽

Fake News ◽

Know How ◽

Literacy Training ◽

Structured Questionnaire ◽

Do So

The infodiet of young Spanish adults aged 18 to 25 was analysed to determine their attitude towards fake news. The objectives were: to establish whether they have received any training in fake news; to determine whether they know how to identify fake information; and to investigate whether they spread it. The study employed a descriptive quantitative method consisting of a survey of 500 representative interviews of the Spanish population aged between 18 and 25 through a structured questionnaire. The results indicate that they are aware of the importance of training, although generally they do not know of any course and when they do, they do not tend to enroll on one either due to lack of interest or time. These young adults feel that they know how to identify fake content and, moreover, that they know how to do so very well. However, they do not use the best tools. While they do not always verify information, they mainly suspect the credibility of information when it is meaningless. However, they do not tend to spread fake information. We conclude that media information literacy training (MILT) is necessary in educational centres that focuses on the main issues identified.

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‘Fake News' in the Context of Information Literacy

Advances in Media, Entertainment, and the Arts - Navigating Fake News, Alternative Facts, and Misinformation in a Post-Truth World ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-2543-2.ch004 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 89-115

Author(s):

Nicole S. Delellis ◽

Victoria L. Rubin

Keyword(s):

Critical Thinking ◽

Best Practices ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Digital Media ◽

Information Literacy ◽

Department Chairs ◽

Fake News ◽

Media Regulation ◽

Automation Technology ◽

Study Participants

This chapter describes a study that interviewed 18 participants (8 professors, 6 librarians, and 4 department chairs) about their perceptions of ‘fake news' in the context of their educational roles in information literacy (IL) within a large Canadian university. Qualitative analysis of the interviews reveals a substantial overlap in these educators' perceptions of skills associated with IL and ‘fake news' detection. Librarians' IL role seems to be undervalued. Better communication among integral IL educator groups is recommended. Most study participants emphasized the need for incorporating segments dedicated to detecting ‘fake news' in IL curricula. Pro-active IL campaigns to prevent, detect, and deter the spread of various ‘fakes' in digital media and specialized mis-/disinformation awareness courses are among best practices that support critical thinking and information evaluation within the societal context. Two other interventions, complementary to IL as per Rubin's Disinformation and Misinformation Triangle, are suggested – detection automation technology and media regulation.

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Conflicting authority

Reference Services Review ◽

10.1108/rsr-09-2019-0069 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 201-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Katherine Lynch ◽

Shaunna Hunter

Keyword(s):

Information Literacy ◽

Literacy Instruction ◽

Large Body ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Fake News ◽

Content Type ◽

Source Evaluation ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Information Literacy Instruction ◽

Modern Learning

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to suggest that librarians’ traditional methods of source evaluation – guided by the “Authority is Constructed and Contextual Frame” of the Framework for Information Literacy – do not adequately address today’s post-truth reality. Design/methodology/approach The authors will use the specific example of the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Climate Assessment report on November 23, 2018 and the subsequent Fact Check News Release published by EPA Headquarters on November 28 as a lens to explore the difficulty of teaching the Authority is Constructed and Contextual Frame in an era of alternative facts and fake news. Findings A brief analysis of human psychology, modern learning theories and Patrick Wilson’s work on cognitive authorities demonstrates that to provide effective information literacy instruction, librarians must do more to incorporate the social and emotional factors that individual students bring to the learning environment into current instruction practices. Practical implications This paper can be used as a resource for librarians seeking new strategies for information literacy instruction in the post-truth era. Originality/value Although a large body of literature exists to discuss the prevalence and implications of fake news in the post-truth era, few scholars have proposed solutions beyond a rededication to teaching critical source evaluation. This paper points to at least one new resource for source evaluation instruction which includes self-reflection among learners and points readers in a new direction to develop more.

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What do we do about “fake news” and other forms of false information: The roles of the organization of false information, professional ethics and information literacy?

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology ◽

10.1002/pra2.2018.14505501091 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 719-721

Author(s):

Shannon M. Oltmann ◽

Thomas J. Froehlich ◽

Denise E. Agosto

Keyword(s):

Information Literacy ◽

Professional Ethics ◽

Fake News ◽

False Information ◽

Information Professional

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Information Literacy in a Fake/False News World: An Overview of the Characteristics of Fake News and its Historical Development

International Journal of Legal Information ◽

10.1017/jli.2018.25 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 93-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carol A. Watson

Keyword(s):

Information Literacy ◽

Historical Development ◽

Literacy Programs ◽

Fake News ◽

Legal Information ◽

Information Professionals ◽

False News

Prior to designing strategies and information literacy programs to combat the dissemination and proliferation of fake/false news, it is instructive for legal information professionals to understand the characteristics of fake news and the context of its historical development.

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