How To Spot Fake News


How To Spot Fake News...IFLA

Critical thinking is a key skill in media and information literacy, and the mission of libraries is to educate and advocate its importance.

Discussions about fake news has led to a new focus on media literacy more broadly, and the role of libraries and other education institutions in providing this.

When Oxford Dictionaries announce post-truth is Word of the Year 2016, we as librarians realise action is needed to educate and advocate for critical thinking – a crucial skill when navigating the information society.

IFLA has made this infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News)  to discover the verifiability of a given news-piece in front of you. Download, print, translate, and share – at home, at your library, in your local community, and on social media networks. The more we crowdsource our wisdom, the wiser the world becomes.



http://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11174



Fake news is nothing new. But bogus stories can reach more people more quickly via social media than what good old-fashioned viral emails could accomplish in years past.
Concern about the phenomenon led Facebook and Google to announce that they’ll crack down on fake news sites, restricting their ability to garner ad revenue. Perhaps that could dissipate the amount of malarkey online, though news consumers themselves are the best defense against the spread of misinformation.

Not all of the misinformation being passed along online is complete fiction, though some of it is. Snopes.com has been exposing false viral claims since the mid 1990s, whether that’s fabricated messages, distortions containing bits of truth and everything in between. Founder David Mikkelson warned in a Nov. 17 article not to lump everything into the “fake news” category. “The fictions and fabrications that comprise fake news are but a subset of the larger bad news phenomenon, which also encompasses many forms of shoddy, unresearched, error-filled, and deliberately misleading reporting that do a disservice to everyone,” he wrote.

A lot of these viral claims aren’t “news” at all, but fiction, satire and efforts to fool readers into thinking they’re for real.

http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1. TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY 2. OPERATIONAL FEASIBILITY 3. ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY

INTRODUCTION A feasibility study assesses the operational, technical and economic merits of the proposed project. The feasibility study is intended to be a preliminary review of the facts to see if it is worthy of proceeding to the analysis phase. From the systems analyst perspective, the feasibility analysis is the primary tool for recommending whether to proceed to the next phase or to discontinue the project. The feasibility study is a management-oriented activity. The objective of a feasibility study is to find out if an information system project can be done and to suggest possible alternative solutions. Projects are initiated for two broad reasons: 1.      Problems that lend themselves to systems solutions 2.      Opportunities for improving through: (a) upgrading systems (b) altering systems (c) installing new systems A feasibility study should provide management with enough information to decide: ·    ...
Read more

LIBRARY RESOURCES AND THEIR ROLE IN EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION Over the years, many libraries have supported education efforts by providing teaching resources, information and referral services. A more active approach has been taken by libraries offering educational classes or one-to-one tutoring programs. Many libraries have outreach programs designed to meet the needs of specific groups of people with limited educational skills. Library resource materials are distributed to the institutionalized, including those in prisons, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and group homes for the elderly and disabled. In addition, some libraries offer programs for groups at risk for education-related problems. Adolescents have been targeted because lack of education has been associated with other problems including crime, pregnancy, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, and school failure. After-school and summer educational programs have sought to encourage young people to become employable, contributing members of the community and gener...
Read more

LIBRARY RESOURCES AND THEIR ROLE IN EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION Over the years, many libraries have supported education efforts by providing teaching resources, information and referral services. A more active approach has been taken by libraries offering educational classes or one-to-one tutoring programs. Many libraries have outreach programs designed to meet the needs of specific groups of people with limited educational skills. Library resource materials are distributed to the institutionalized, including those in prisons, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and group homes for the elderly and disabled. In addition, some libraries offer programs for groups at risk for education-related problems. Adolescents have been targeted because lack of education has been associated with other problems including crime, pregnancy, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, and school failure. After-school and summer educational programs have sought to encourage young people to become employable, contributing members of the community and genera...
Read more