A Closer Look: Beware of Photos Bearing False Captions | Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos When working with historical photo collections, it always pays to ask yourself: Does the title match the content? The original photographers sometimes mixed up dates and places, or misspelled words and omitted key info — just like you or I might. Glancing at this pair of photographs, they seem to show the same scene. But the titles etched into the original glass negatives tell conflicting stories. (Spoiler alert: Don’t click on the photos to see their catalog records yet or you’ll get the answer early!) Original caption: Suffragettes, Union Sq., May 2, 1914. Original caption: Union Sq., 5/1/14. So, which caption is most accurate? The now-demolished cottage confirms this is Union Square in New York City. Detail of //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.16486 I zoomed in even closer to check for visual clues like signs. With two potential dates to consider, I turned to the New York Times newspaper archive, which clarified the cause of the conflicting captions. Learn More:
How Photos Fuel the Spread of Fake News Even rudimentary skills aren't required to create, say, a meme of Seddique Mateen, whose son Omar Mateen fatally shot 48 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that allegedly shows him visiting Hillary Clinton’s office at the State Department this year. Never mind that Clinton resigned from the job three years before. Photos play a key role in making fake news stories go viral by bolstering the emotional tenor of the lie. They elicit an emotional response, which makes it far more likely that someone will click the link, then share it. Such images can reinforce existing prejudices. These dirty tricks work because most people believe a photograph represents reality. Makela's photo of Clinton shows how insidious, and easy, it has become to use photos to sell a lie. This works to the advantage of those who sell lies as truth, knowing that people believe what they see—and see what they believe.
How to Spot Fake News 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. 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. We’ve long encouraged readers to be skeptical of viral claims, and make good use of the delete key when a chain email hits their inboxes. In 2008, we tried to get readers to rid their inboxes of this kind of garbage. Here’s our advice on how to spot a fake: Consider the source. Check the date.
Fake News Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts : All Tech Considered Guido Rosa/Getty Images/Ikon Images Fake news stories can have real-life consequences. On Sunday, police said a man with a rifle who claimed to be "self-investigating" a baseless online conspiracy theory entered a Washington, D.C., pizzeria and fired the weapon inside the restaurant. So, yes, fake news is a big problem. These stories have gotten a lot of attention, with headlines claiming Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump in November's election and sites like American News sharing misleading stories or taking quotes out of context. Stopping the proliferation of fake news isn't just the responsibility of the platforms used to spread it. The idea is that people should have a fundamental sense of media literacy. Sam Wineburg, a professor of education and history at Stanford and the lead author of the study, said a solution is for all readers to read like fact checkers. That's the framework for professionals, but there are ways for everyone to do a bit of fact checking themselves.
Don’t Believe Everything You Hear or Read | Teaching with the Library of Congress Mars Peopled by One Vast Thinking Vegetable! Salt Lake Tribune, October 13, 1912 In the most recent “Right to the Source” column in NSTA’s magazine The Science Teacher, Michael Apfeldorf discusses reactions in the early 20th century to reports of life on Mars. He explains that as early as 1894, scientists noted that conditions on Mars would not support life, but wild theories persisted in popular media. Looking for other ways to help students analyze sources and evaluate information? Analyzing primary sources can help students become better critical thinkers who are willing to evaluate information and dig deeply to find the answers to questions. How will you use primary sources to encourage students to look for the story behind the source?
Metafact Protect Yourself from Fake News - Fact v. Fiction - Fake News - Academic Guid... Here are some steps you can take to become a critical news consumer: Determine what type of article you are reading Is it an editorial or opinion piece? Look into opposing views Look into sources that you normally do not check or that hold opposing viewpoints to your own. Understand that not all errors are intentional The media is fallible and mistakes can happen. Look into the editorial staff News sources must hold themselves accountable for the information they provide. Find the original sources Many fake or biased sites use previously published stories that have been edited and manipulated to fit their biased views. Share Responsibly This goes beyond not sharing news stories until you have determined they are genuine, but also not sharing fake news. Double-check on the internet When in doubt, you can always use a fact checking website to double-check a story. Beware of native advertising Evaluate Resources Check out the author – Look at the reporter’s byline.
The Smell Test: Educators can counter fake news with information literacy. Here’s how. Illustration by Steve Brodner Discerning fact from fiction in news and online content has never been more challenging. From “pizzagate”—false reports of a child sex ring operating in a DC pizza parlor—and creepy clown attacks to retweeted election headlines touting events that never happened, fake news is rampant. Twenty-three percent of Americans say they have shared fabricated reports, knowingly or not, according to a December Pew Research Center report. Librarians have an opportunity to take leadership in the current crisis. That requires expertise—and perseverance. “Our ‘digital natives’ may be able to flit between Facebook and Twitter while simultaneously uploading a selfie to Instagram and texting a friend,” state the researchers from the Stanford History Education Group. The Stanford team designed assessments that requested students to distinguish between a news item and an ad. Lessons to combat fake news Frank W. Librarians on the front lines Resources and tools Legislation
After Comet Ping Pong and Pizzagate, teachers tackle fake news History teacher Chris Dier was in the middle of a lesson last week at Chalmette High School in Chalmette, La., when a student made a befuddling inquiry: “He raised his hand and asked if I knew about Hillary Clinton using pizza places to traffic people.” About a thousand miles away at Wilson High School in Northwest Washington, distressed students in teacher Eden McCauslin’s history and government classes asked why a North Carolina man armed with an assault rifle had appeared at their local pizza shop, Comet Ping Pong, telling police that he wanted to free child sex slaves he believed to be harbored there, a false narrative conspiracy theorists have pushed on the Internet. [Pizzagate: From rumor, to hashtag, to gunfire in D.C.] Hoaxes, fake news and conspiracy theories have abounded on the Web, spreading with increasing speed and intensity during the recent presidential election cycle. As the Comet Ping Pong incident displayed, such false accounts can inspire very real consequences. local
Fake news. It's complicated. - First Draft News This article is available also in Deutsch, Español, Français and العربية By now we’ve all agreed the term “fake news” is unhelpful, but without an alternative, we’re left awkwardly using air quotes whenever we utter the phrase. The reason we’re struggling with a replacement is because this is about more than news, it’s about the entire information ecosystem. And the term fake doesn’t begin to describe the complexity of the different types of misinformation (the inadvertent sharing of false information) and disinformation (the deliberate creation and sharing of information known to be false). To understand the current information ecosystem, we need to break down three elements: The different types of content that are being created and sharedThe motivations of those who create this contentThe ways this content is being disseminated This matters. This is far more worrying than fake news sites created by profit driven Macedonian teenagers. The Different Types of Mis and Disinformation
How to identify fake news | Rubber Duck Media The illustration above, which shows reporters carrying various forms of fake news, was published way back in 1894 by pioneering cartoonist Frederick Burr Opper. He would have been blissfully unaware at the time of its creation, but he had just uncovered a powerful phrase that, 123 years later, would become word of the year for 2017 and which would define the credibility and legitimacy of the news, mass media and journalism throughout the 21st century. Rubber Duck Media explains below how to identify fake news and what can be done to prevent it spreading further and doing more damage. The dissemination of fabricated information designed to mislead, push a narrative or agenda, or to simply attract attention for its own sake, is not a new concept by any means.
Battling Fake News in the Classroom In this post-election period, there has been a lot of discussion about fake news, particularly about how it is spread and shared online, and whether it influenced the recent presidential election. On November 22, Stanford University released an influential study showing that middle and high school students—and even some in college—have trouble distinguishing which online resources are credible. The inescapable fact is that young people need to be prepared for the Wild West of information that they live in and will grow up in. It is also imperative that we, as educators, prepare young people for the important job of responsible and informed citizenship. Media Literacy and “Crap Detection” Teaching media literacy is not new, but with the explosion of social media and the lightning speeds at which information is shared, critical evaluation skills have never been more important. The Role of Educators So how can educators address this emerging crisis in digital literacy? What’s Next?
Who Stands Between Fake News and Students? Educators Every week, Dave Stuart hands out a current news article to his world history students so they can digest and evaluate the credibility of the information and its sources. One day this fall, Stuart, now in his tenth year at Cedar Springs High School in Michigan, distributed a couple of stories about the 2016 presidential candidates. In the middle of a uniquely controversial and divisive campaign, it was perhaps inevitable that during the discussion some students would dredge up information that didn’t appear in the articles their teacher had provided. It was quickly apparent, says Stuart, that much of it was untrue and probably gleaned from dubious sources – or peddlers of what has now been famously dubbed “fake news.” Source: Buzzfeed News The conversation in Dave Stuart’s class, however, was focused more on larger questions of how students as news consumers reach conclusions and how they can and should use evidence to support these conclusions. When Information Becomes Polluted
Drop Bear The Drop Bear, Thylarctos plummetus, is a large, arboreal, predatory marsupial related to the Koala. Drop Bear distribution map Photographer: © Australian Museum Standard Common Name Drop Bear Identification Around the size of a leopard or very large dog with coarse orange fur with some darker mottled patterning (as seen in most Koalas). Size range 120kg, 130cm long, 90 cm at the shoulder. Distribution Drop Bears can be found in the densely forested regions of the Great Dividing Range in South-eastern Australia. Habitat Closed canopy forest as well as open woodland on the margins of dense forest. Habitat type Vegetation Habitat: closed forest, tall closed forest, tall open forest, tall open shrubland What does this mean? Seasonality Appears yearly, 1st April. Feeding and Diet Examination of kill sites and scats suggest mainly medium to large species of mammal make a substantial proportion of the animal's diet. Feeding Habit carnivorous Mating and reproduction Era / Period Quaternary Period Classification