scholarly journals The Necessity of Satire in Media Literacy: Stephen Colbert’s Use of Sophistic and Socratic Irony

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-207
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Processing Route ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Systematic Thinking

Abstract Media literacy campaigns champion systematic thinking and high elaboration in the fight against fake news. However, they often overlook an ancient tool for discrediting demagogues and destroying disinformation: satire. This essay explores how satirist Stephen Colbert used irony in his 2010 congressional testimony, arguing that Colbert’s shift from Socratic to Sophistic irony encouraged listeners to think for themselves through a more central information-processing route. The essay concludes that irony increases recognition of fake news, but warns that an overreliance on Sophistic irony undermines an appreciation of truth, and requires the reintroduction of Socratic irony as a counter balance.

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.

scholarly journals Advancing children’s news media literacy: learning from the practices and experiences of young Australians

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-707
Author(s):  
Tanya Notley ◽  
Michael Dezuanni
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
News Media ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
Literacy Education ◽  
Fake News ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Media Literacy Education ◽  
Nationally Representative

Social media use has redefined the production, experience and consumption of news media. These changes have made verifying and trusting news content more complicated and this has led to a number of recent flashpoints for claims and counter-claims of ‘fake news’ at critical moments during elections, natural disasters and acts of terrorism. Concerns regarding the actual and potential social impact of fake news led us to carry out the first nationally representative survey of young Australians’ news practices and experiences. Our analysis finds that while social media is one of young people’s preferred sources of news, they are not confident about spotting fake news online and many rarely or never check the source of news stories. Our findings raise important questions regarding the need for news media literacy education – both in schools and in the home. Therefore, we consider the historical development of news media literacy education and critique the relevance of dominant frameworks and pedagogies currently in use. We find that news media has become neglected in media literacy education in Australia over the past three decades, and we propose that current media literacy frameworks and pedagogies in use need to be rethought for the digital age.

scholarly journals MEDIA EDUCATION: the fight against post-truth and misinformation on trafficking in women and girls

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. a6en
Author(s):  
Sandra de Souza Machado ◽  
Begoña Sánchez Torrejón ◽  
Víctor Amar Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Gender Studies ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Young Women ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Gender Violence ◽  
Media Education ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Trafficking In Women ◽  
Women And Girls

Data, discursive and methodological analysis, from the perspective of Communication and Education gender studies, are applied aiming media literacy for a responsive citizenship in the fight against trafficking in women and girls. Questioning gender violence in misinformation, fake news, post-truths, and malicious intentions. Media literacy, co-education and collective awareness function as strategies of action to combat the trafficking of (young) women, which reaches alarming degrees in the 21st century, including during the global pandemic of COVID-19.

Journalism Educators, Regulatory Realities, and Pedagogical Predicaments of the “Fake News” Era: A Comparative Perspective on the Middle East and Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Mutsvairo ◽  
Saba Bebawi
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Exponential Expansion ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
The Difference ◽  
State Of Affairs

From diplomatic spats between Qatar and Saudi Arabia to ubiquitous deceptive “news” updates purportedly sent by the Eritrean government urging all men to marry two wives or risk imprisonment, the future of fact-based reporting appears uncertain as mass media recipients world over become accustomed to consuming “fake news.” Despite the exponential expansion of journalism educators in the Middle East and Africa, several curriculums in these regions have been struggling to cope with the rising dominance of the “fake news” movement. Both regions have a well-documented appetite for conspiracy theories and indeed the power of disinformation and propaganda, which seem to have gathered steam in the wake of deliberate dissemination of hoaxes or sensationalist stories predominantly distributed via social media platforms, potentially posing a threat to the credibility of journalism. This article provides an updated state of affairs on the expansion of “fake news” in the Middle East and Africa arguing after an explorative examination of 10 journalism curriculums that educators need to focus on local contexts when preparing journalism modules. Although it is important to discuss global trends, developments, controversies, debates, and discussions involving the “fake news” movement, we think future journalists from both regions would benefit from media literacy courses that identify the difference between fact and fiction in relation to their own contexts. This is relevant because current pedagogical approaches appear influenced by developments abroad especially in these countries’ past colonial masters.

scholarly journals Critical thinking efficacy and transfer skills defend against ‘fake news’ at an international school in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Horn ◽  
Koen Veermans
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
International Baccalaureate ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
International School ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Educational Environments ◽  
Digital Media Literacy

In this study, tasks measuring digital media literacy developed by Stanford University were administered at a school in Finland to consider the efficacy and transfer of critical thinking (CT) skills of a ‘pre-IB’ cohort preparing to enter the two year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and a graduating ‘IB2’ cohort. While the IB2 cohort outperformed the pre-IB cohort, both outperformed Stanford’s U.S. cohorts to a statistically significant degree. Utilising a framework of curricular approaches to facilitating CT skills development as a variable of interest for causal-comparison, it was determined that the Finnish curricula and the IBDP explicitly facilitate CT skills as a separate course while embedding CT into subject coursework, whereas the curriculum in the U.S. implicitly embeds CT into subject coursework only. Implications for improving facilitation of CT in curricula design, professionalising CT across the field, and the benefits of replicating existing studies in differing socio-educational environments are discussed.

scholarly journals COMBATING INFODEMIC COVID-19: GOVERNMENT RESPONSE AGAINST FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Andi Luhur Prianto ◽  
Abdillah Abdillah ◽  
Syukri Firdaus ◽  
Muhammad Arifeen Yamad
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Communication Performance ◽  
Government Response ◽  
The Social ◽  
Media Channels

The global commitment to fighting the pandemic is not only about medical and epidemiological work, but also about how information about the disease is disseminated. The threat of the Covid-19 infodemic is no less dangerous than the pandemic itself. The phenomenon of infodemic has distorted the work of science and reduced public trust in state authorities. This research has identified, mapped, and analyzed official government responses to fake news attacks on social media. This study uses an interpretive-phenomenological approach, related to the spread and belief of fake news about Covid-19 in Indonesia. Data analysis uses the Nvivo-12 Pro application, as an artificial intelligence tool to support data exploration from various sources. The results show that the quality of media literacy, public communication performance, and the effectiveness of government regulations have become part of the challenges in mitigating infodemic. The level of public trust in information from social media contributes to the decline in trust in fake news about Covid-19. Stimulation from the social media news that does not control the belief in myths and false information about Covid-19. Content creators who have produced, posted, and shared on social media channels that are less critical, have an impact on the infodemic situation. The solution is to increase media literacy education and the effectiveness of law enforcement in mitigating the infodemic in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Media and Health – “Angel and Devil”

In medias res ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 2803-2811
Author(s):  
Ivana Marasović Šušnjara ◽  
Maja Vejić
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Public ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Media ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Credible Information

All media have been flooded with news related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Top scientists have been addressing the public more frequently than ever before. In addition to positive attitudes, there have also been negative ones. In the midst of the pandemic, information about health systems that cannot respond adequately, a large number of deaths, and the lack of vaccines provoked a number of unwanted reactions, such as fear and associated disorders. Bad news kept coming. They were followed by conspiracy theories. Certain groups set out to find information they wanted to accept as true on various social networks. Should the media be allowed to inform about health without check, should they be allowed to pass on “fake news” in the domain of illness and health, or even manipulate information? They shouldn’t? In order to minimize the negative impacts, there should be mutual responsibility of experts and the media in presenting health-related topics and in disseminating useful and credible information, whereby the media literacy of the end users is indispensable.

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