scholarly journals Critical Information Literacy as a Path to Resist “Fake News”: Understanding Disinformation as the Root Problem

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-286
Author(s):  
Anna Cristina Brisola ◽  
Andréa Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
New Information ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
State Of Vigilance

Abstract This paper proposes to discuss the problem of Fake News, its root problem disinformation and the path to resist it, critical information literacy. It initially distinguishes the concepts of fake news and disinformation through the views of authors as Allcott & Gentzkow (2017), Chomsky (2014), Serrano (2010) and Volkoff (1999). Our perspective considers that none of these phenomena are new or recent, and we do not consider the “combat” of fake news to be a simple task, considering that it involves issues related to the limits of freedom of speech and media censorship. Fake News are understood as intentionally and verifiably false articles created to manipulate people and disinformation as a bigger ensemble of techniques to manipulate public opinion for political gain with perverted (but not only false) information. One way to deal with these matters goes through a more complex process: the development of critical information literacy in the society as a whole. This concept is studied from the work of Downey (2016), Elmborg (2012), Freire (1967;1970) and others. Freire’s critical pedagogy helps the self-construction of subjects aware of their position and their social role, and it is a basic key for the formation of autonomous, critical and responsible individuals. Based on that, critical information literacy is a state of vigilance towards information that enables people to understand that information is socially constructed and to use it to produce new information in a creative and contextualized way. It concludes that critical information literacy is a consistent tool of resistance to Fake News as it allows people not only survive the informational flood but mainly to build a more ethical society in the use of information.

scholarly journals Critical digital pedagogy and cultural sensitivity in the library classroom: Infographics and digital storytelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Waddell ◽  
Elena Clariza
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Cultural Sensitivity ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Digital Pedagogy

Academic librarians have a demonstrated interest in digital tools for teaching and learning and often provide support for these tools to their wider campus communities. Additionally, many librarians incorporate these tools into their own teaching in the information literacy classroom. However, little has been written about how digital tools can support critical information literacy and critical pedagogy specifically in library instruction. Eamon Tewell defines critical information literacy as instruction that asks “students to engage with and act upon the power structures underpinning information’s production and dissemination.”1 According to Paulo Freire, critical pedagogy acknowledges that education is a political action that can have an adverse effect on certain students.2 We define critical as self-reflexive and intentionally engaged with power structures.

scholarly journals From critical information literacy to a critical theory of information

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Bezerra
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Historical Materialism ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Literacy Studies ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Theory Of Information

In addition to proposing a reflective and revisionist analysis of information literacy conventions and institutional norms, critical information literacy studies assume a practical commitment to engage in the struggle against the power structures that support the dominant production and dissemination of information, creating obstacles to autonomy and social emancipation. This commitment is based on Paulo Freire's pedagogical perspective of praxis, which has in its (often overlooked) roots the critical fortune of Marxist historical materialism – which, in turn, also underpins the critical theory of the Frankfurt School philosophers. With this epistemological recognition in mind, this article presents a proposal for a critical theory of information conceived from a mediation between critical information literacy studies, critical pedagogy and critical theory, in an attempt to strengthen the theoretical-methodological perspective that guides the pedagogical praxis of such studies in the field of Library and Information Science.

scholarly journals Entre hiperinformação e desinformação: o “fio de ariadne” para a preservação da informação na web | Between hyperinformation and disinformation: the "ariadne’s wire" for the preservation of information on the web

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca Da Costa Maia Lopes ◽  
Arthur Coelho Bezerra
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Web Space ◽  
Political Groups ◽  
The Web

RESUMO No cenário da era digital, partimos de uma reflexão sobre os desafios à preservação da informação na web diante da hiperinformação que trafega pela rede, com destaque para os caminhos percorridos entre informação e desinformação.  Pretendemos abordar   aspectos da memória no espaço da web e tomar a atual circulação de fake news como exemplo que ilustra a dialética da liberdade sociotécnica contemporânea. Em tal contexto, destacamos a relevância dos estudos de “competência crítica em informação” empreendidos por pesquisadores da ciência da informação, que auxiliam a compreender como as informações veiculadas na internet atendem a propósitos específicos de determinados agentes e grupos políticos, reforçando elementos de poder intrínsecos aos regimes de informação.Palavras-chave: Hiperinformação; Memória; Preservação; Competência Crítica em Informação; Era Digital.ABSTRACT In the scenario of the digital age, we start from a reflection on the challenges to the preservation of information on the web in view of the hyperinformation that travels through the network, highlighting the paths traveled between information and disinformation. We intend to address aspects of memory in the web space and take the current fake news circulation as an example that illustrates the dialectics of contemporary sociotechnical freedom. In this context, we highlight the relevance of studies of "critical information literacy" undertaken by Information Science researchers, which help to understand how the information transmitted on the Internet serves the specific purposes of certain agents and political groups, reinforcing intrinsic power elements of information regimes.Keywords: Hyperinformation; Memory; Preservation; Critical Information Literacy; Digital Age.

scholarly journals It Takes a Village to Combat a Fake News Army: Wikipedia’s Community and Policies for Information Literacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630512093730
Author(s):  
Zachary J. McDowell ◽  
Matthew A. Vetter
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Landscape Analysis ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Educational Models ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
New Strategies

The fake news crisis points to a complex set of circumstances in which new media ecologies struggle to address challenges related to authenticity, rhetorical manipulation and disinformation, and the inability of traditional educational models to adequately teach toward critical information literacy. While social media sites such as Facebook acknowledge the culpability of their platforms in spreading fake news, and create new strategies for addressing this problem, such measures are woefully inadequate. Wikipedia, nearing its 20th year, however, has developed numerous practices and policies to ensure information validity and verifiability. This article explores the connection between participation in the Wikipedia community, the development of critical information literacies, and the ability to navigate the current new media landscape. Analysis and review of Wikipedia’s community policies and the procedures resulting from these policies demonstrate the encyclopedia’s unique capacity to protect against problematic information. We ultimately argue that Wikipedia has become and remains one of the few places on the internet dedicated to combating fake news, and make recommendations on how to leverage Wikipedia practices and policies for information validation outside of the encyclopedia.

scholarly journals Overcoming Challenges to Critical Information Literacy: Primary Source Analysis as Consciousness-Raising

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-112
Author(s):  
Julie M. Porterfield
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Source Analysis ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Critical Information ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Literacy Tool

Critical information literacy can be described as the application of critical pedagogy, or a theory of learning that endeavors to impact social change, to information literacy. The use of critical pedagogy in information literacy instruction is simultaneously on-trend in theory and also criticized for the obstacles to its practical implementation. Due to historic collecting practices in archives and special collections libraries, teaching with archival collections presents an advantageous way to integrate critical information literacy. This case study describes the use of primary source analysis as a critical information literacy tool in a one-shot instruction session for a cross-listed communications and women’s studies course, focusing on gender roles and communication.

scholarly journals Navigating complex authorities: Intellectual freedom, information literacy and truth in pandemic STEM information

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110489
Author(s):  
Kate Mercer ◽  
Kari D Weaver ◽  
Khrystine Waked
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Intellectual Freedom ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
New Information ◽  
Illustrative Case Study ◽  
Information Landscape

Traversing scientific information has become increasingly fraught, as the new information landscape allows anyone to access endless information with a few keystrokes. However, those trying to find information, understand authorities and navigate experts need a deeper understanding not only of the information itself, but also of how and why information is shared. Increasingly, questions of expertise, locale and bias are driving the scientific information ecosystem and creating or expanding disinformation, misinformation and propaganda efforts. Librarians are in the centre of this maelstrom of information and are obligated to help people learn to be critical of information. This article presents an illustrative case study, using the example of scientific information around the safety and efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to demonstrate how modern scientific information sharing is shaped by the ways in which misinformation and fake news spread.

Critical Pedagogy In Libraries: A Unified Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa M. Gustafson
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Academic Publishing ◽  
Unified Approach ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction ◽  
Scholarly Communications ◽  
Paolo Friere ◽  
Foundational Work

Critical pedagogy originated in the social sciences during the mid-twentieth century with the foundational work of Paolo Friere. More recently in information science, James Elmborg and others have framed critical pedagogy through the lens of information literacy instruction. As a whole the philosophy is one which considers economic, political, and societal systems which influence the entire information life cycle from creation to consumption. Central to the adoption was the incorporation of learners as equals with valid and highly individualized experiences in academic discourse. Beyond information literacy instruction, critical pedagogy has the potential to also benefit and define the librarian's outreach and support role for the scholarly communications process. Scholarly communications encompasses both traditional academic publishing models (peer reviewed journals, conference presentations, etc.) and nontraditional channels (social media, open access, etc.) and is concerned with the information lifecycle as it relates to teaching research and scholarly work. In consideration of scholarly communications processes, issues of critical pedagogy including external market forces, privilege of information, systems of access, and consumption all play a defining role. A move to a more unified approach of critical pedagogy in libraries would highlight crucial issues of information literacy and scholarly communications while simultaneously augmenting the library's role across campus. The evolution of critical pedagogy in libraries is briefly discussed. Current scholarly communications practices in academic libraries as seen through the literature and by examining U.S. library websites is also reviewed. The author makes suggestions for meaningful inclusion of critical pedagogy in libraries through a unified approach to scholarly communications and information literacy programs.

Pensamento reflexivo e gosto informacional: disposições para competência crítica em informação

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Coelho Bezerra ◽  
Marco Schneider ◽  
Anna Brisola
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Paulo Freire ◽  
Critical Information

A magnitude das informações circulantes nas sociedades contemporâneas faz com que seja cada vez mais urgente a aquisição de ferramentas necessárias para a absorção, avaliação e utilização dessas informações pelos indivíduos. Defenderemos, no presente artigo, que esse caminho passa pelo pensamento reflexivo e pelo gosto informacional, disposições que se apresentam como contribuições essenciais para o desenvolvimento de uma competência crítica em informação. Para tanto, recorreremos tanto às pesquisas de cientistas da informação sobre a chamada critical information literacy quanto à proposta pedagógica de Paulo Freire para o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico, incorporando, também, apontamentos de filósofos e outros pensadores que dissertaram a respeito do gosto pelo conhecimento.Palavras-chave: Competência em informação. Competência crítica em informação. Pensamento reflexivo. Gosto. Paulo Freire.Link:http://www.ies.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ies/article/view/31114

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