Today's blog comes from Rene Tanner, subject matter librarian at ASU.
Evaluating information in the digital age is a critical skill. In the classroom, as in life, we need to agree on basic facts to advance human knowledge and our understanding of the world. Fake news refers to sources that fabricate information, purposefully deceive, or grossly distort factual news reports (Novotny, 2017).
Social media is an important source of information. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 62% of U.S. adults receive news through social media with Facebook (44%) as the lead outlet, followed by YouTube (10%) and Twitter (9%) (Pew Research Center, 2016a). Distinguishing real information from distorted information online can more difficult than we may imagine.
A recent study by Stanford University found that most students, from middle school through college, had trouble identifying false or biased information online. For example, students often had difficulty distinguishing between advertisements and actual news stories (Wineburg, McGrew, Breakstone, and Ortega; 2016).
One of dangers of fake news is that it can crowd out reliable information. Of 1,002 U.S. adults polled by Pew Research Center in December 2016, 64% said that fabricated information caused confusion and made it difficult to grasp the facts of current issues and events. A recent survey found that 23% of those polled knowingly or unknowingly shared false information (Pew Research Center, 2016b).
To understand how claims travel and spread through social media, Indiana University professor Filippo Menczer, developed Hoaxy, a tool to visualize the online spread of claims and the associated fact checking (Smith, 2017). The ability to share false or deceptive information is easier than ever before with the widespread adoption of social media platforms. Therefore, it’s increasingly important that we teach students the skills needed to evaluate information and instill in them the responsibility to fact-check information, especially incendiary information, before they share it.
To address this problem, the Stony Brook University and the University of Hong Kong created a six-week, open, online course “Making Sense of the News: New Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens,” which is designed to help consumers strengthen their critical reasoning skills (Kitchen, 2016). Another suggestion, in lieu of a standalone course, is to give students an assignment before a research paper that requires them to engage with their peers to discuss online information. In the process, students would be guided through a series of steps designed to help them evaluate an online article for bias and credibility with the input of their peers.1 The steps are as follows.
1This list of steps was adapted from the Harvard Library Guide, Fake News, Misinformation, and Propaganda: http://guides.library.harvard.edu/fake, which is based on Zimdars, Melissa. (2016). False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and Satirical “News” Sources.
Cited References:
Pew Research Center. (2016a, May 26). News use across social media platforms 2016. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016
Pew Research Center. (2016b, December 15). Many Americans Believe Fake News Is Sowing Confusion. Retrieved from
http://www.journalism.org/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowing-confusion/
Kitchen, P. (2016, December 19). Stony Brook University takes aim at fake news with new course. Newsday. Retrieved from http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/stony-brook-takes-aim-at-fake-news-with-new-course-1.12780105
Novotny, E. (2017). “Fake” News. Retrieved from http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/fakenews
Smith, C. (2017, January 23). How Universities are tackling the fake news problem. USA Today College. Retrieved from http://college.usatoday.com/2017/01/23/how-universities-are-working-to-educate-students-and-the-public-about-fake-news/
Wineburg, S., McGrew, S., Breakstone, J. and Ortega, T. (2016). Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at http://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934
Additional Sources
Fowler, M. (2017, February 12). UB students and professors discuss 'fake news.' The Spectrum.
Retrieved from http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2017/02/fake-news-blurs-lines-between-truth-and-fiction
Hunt, E. (2016, December 17). What is fake news? How to spot it and what you can do to stop it. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/18/what-is-fake-news-pizzagate
Inkumsah, A. (2017, February 22). UB librarians discuss how fake news creates a cycle of misinformation. The Spectrum. Retrieved from http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2017/02/the-telephone-game-of-fake-news
Ordway, D.-M. (2017, January 9). Fake News and the Spread of Misinformation. Journalist’s Resource. Retrieved from https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/internet/fake-news-conspiracy-theories-journalism-research?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+journalistsresource+%28Journalist%27s+Resource%29
University of Buffalo. (2016). Fake News: Evaluating Information. Research Guide. Retrieved from http://research.lib.buffalo.edu/c.php?g=618398&p=4305087 Note: the CRAAP test was developed by librarians at CSU Chico. Available at http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf
Davis, W. (2016, December 6). Fake Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts. National Public Radio: All Tech Considered. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/05/503581220/fake-or-real-how-to-self-check-the-news-and-get-the-facts Note: The article includes tips on how to do a reverse image search.
A recent study by Stanford University found that most students, from middle school through college, had trouble identifying false or biased information online. For example, students often had difficulty distinguishing between advertisements and actual news stories (Wineburg, McGrew, Breakstone, and Ortega; 2016).
One of dangers of fake news is that it can crowd out reliable information. Of 1,002 U.S. adults polled by Pew Research Center in December 2016, 64% said that fabricated information caused confusion and made it difficult to grasp the facts of current issues and events. A recent survey found that 23% of those polled knowingly or unknowingly shared false information (Pew Research Center, 2016b).
To understand how claims travel and spread through social media, Indiana University professor Filippo Menczer, developed Hoaxy, a tool to visualize the online spread of claims and the associated fact checking (Smith, 2017). The ability to share false or deceptive information is easier than ever before with the widespread adoption of social media platforms. Therefore, it’s increasingly important that we teach students the skills needed to evaluate information and instill in them the responsibility to fact-check information, especially incendiary information, before they share it.
To address this problem, the Stony Brook University and the University of Hong Kong created a six-week, open, online course “Making Sense of the News: New Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens,” which is designed to help consumers strengthen their critical reasoning skills (Kitchen, 2016). Another suggestion, in lieu of a standalone course, is to give students an assignment before a research paper that requires them to engage with their peers to discuss online information. In the process, students would be guided through a series of steps designed to help them evaluate an online article for bias and credibility with the input of their peers.1 The steps are as follows.
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| Harvard Library Infographic |
- Step 1: Consider the domain name. Does it look odd or suspicious? There are many ways to alter a domain name so that it includes “household names” that you are accustomed to seeing, but with additional endings, such as .com.co, or alterations such as newslo in place of news. These alterations are intended to fool the reader into thinking they are visiting the official site of a reputable media outlet when in fact they are directed to an untrustworthy site. Evaluating the domain name is your first line of defense.
- Step 2: Look for visual clues. Does the website look unprofessional? Does it use ALL CAPS excessively? Do the photographs look blurry or altered? Are there typos in the text? Is the information in the “About Us” section sensational or melodramatic? Are you able to find information about the editors or other contacts outside of the website? Do they have an odd return policy? Are the colors used on the site different than those normally found on the genuine website?
- Step 3: Get a second opinion. Does the news you’re reading cause you to feel a great deal of emotion or anger? If the answer is yes, do some more digging. Try to find the information covered in another trusted media source. This is called horizontal searching because you open another browser tab to search and compare the information in other sources.
- Step 4: Check the information in the article for accuracy by visiting a fact checking website such as: Factcheck.org, Snopes.com, or Politifact.
- Step 5: Get help from your browser. There are browser plug-ins that will flag fabricated news in real time. They include: BS Detector (Chrome, Firefox, Safari), Fake News Alert (Chrome), and This is Fake (Chrome for Facebook feed).
1This list of steps was adapted from the Harvard Library Guide, Fake News, Misinformation, and Propaganda: http://guides.library.harvard.edu/fake, which is based on Zimdars, Melissa. (2016). False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and Satirical “News” Sources.
Cited References:
Pew Research Center. (2016a, May 26). News use across social media platforms 2016. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016
Pew Research Center. (2016b, December 15). Many Americans Believe Fake News Is Sowing Confusion. Retrieved from
http://www.journalism.org/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowing-confusion/
Kitchen, P. (2016, December 19). Stony Brook University takes aim at fake news with new course. Newsday. Retrieved from http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/stony-brook-takes-aim-at-fake-news-with-new-course-1.12780105
Novotny, E. (2017). “Fake” News. Retrieved from http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/fakenews
Smith, C. (2017, January 23). How Universities are tackling the fake news problem. USA Today College. Retrieved from http://college.usatoday.com/2017/01/23/how-universities-are-working-to-educate-students-and-the-public-about-fake-news/
Wineburg, S., McGrew, S., Breakstone, J. and Ortega, T. (2016). Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at http://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934
Additional Sources
Fowler, M. (2017, February 12). UB students and professors discuss 'fake news.' The Spectrum.
Retrieved from http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2017/02/fake-news-blurs-lines-between-truth-and-fiction
Hunt, E. (2016, December 17). What is fake news? How to spot it and what you can do to stop it. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/18/what-is-fake-news-pizzagate
Inkumsah, A. (2017, February 22). UB librarians discuss how fake news creates a cycle of misinformation. The Spectrum. Retrieved from http://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2017/02/the-telephone-game-of-fake-news
Ordway, D.-M. (2017, January 9). Fake News and the Spread of Misinformation. Journalist’s Resource. Retrieved from https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/internet/fake-news-conspiracy-theories-journalism-research?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+journalistsresource+%28Journalist%27s+Resource%29
University of Buffalo. (2016). Fake News: Evaluating Information. Research Guide. Retrieved from http://research.lib.buffalo.edu/c.php?g=618398&p=4305087 Note: the CRAAP test was developed by librarians at CSU Chico. Available at http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf
Davis, W. (2016, December 6). Fake Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts. National Public Radio: All Tech Considered. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/05/503581220/fake-or-real-how-to-self-check-the-news-and-get-the-facts Note: The article includes tips on how to do a reverse image search.
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