What does post-truth mean for a philosopher? Image copyright NCH "Post-truth" has come to describe a type of campaigning that has turned the political world upside down. Fuelled by emotive arguments rather than fact-checks, it was a phrase that tried to capture the gut-instinct, anti-establishment politics that swept Donald Trump and Brexit supporters to victory. Oxford Dictionaries made it the word of the year, defining it as where "objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief". But what does this new world mean for academics and scientists whose whole purpose is trying to establish objective facts? AC Grayling, public thinker, master of the New College of the Humanities, and Remain campaigner, views the post-truth world with undisguised horror. The philosopher, awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours, warns of the "corruption of intellectual integrity" and damage to "the whole fabric of democracy". Image copyright iStock "It's terribly narcissistic. Image copyright Reuters
Evaluating Sources in a ‘Post-Truth’ World Back in 2015, when we published our lesson plan Fake News vs. Real News: Determining the Reliability of Sources, we had no way of knowing that, a year later, the Oxford Dictionaries would declare “post-truth” the 2016 word of the year; that fake news would play a role in the 2016 presidential election; that it would cause real violence; and that the president-elect of the United States would use the term to condemn mainstream media outlets he opposes. Back then, to convince teachers that the skill was important, we quoted Peter Adams of the News Literacy Project on the “digital naïveté” of the “digital natives” we teach. Now, however, we doubt that we need to convince anyone. These days, invented stories created in a “fake news factory”— or by a 23-year-old in need of cash — go viral, while articles from traditional sources like The Times are called “fake news” by those who see them as hostile to their agenda. As always, we welcome your ideas; please post them in the comments.
Six questions that will tell you what media to trust - American Press Institute Published Updated 10/23/13 11:37 am Tom Rosenstiel The executive director of the American Press Institute is an author, journalist, and media researcher. @tbr1 You may encounter media today from any number of sources, from traditional news sources to social media to email. How do you know what to trust? Ask these six questions and they will unlock whether something is trustworthy. It’s easier than you think. 1. Recognize first what kind of content you’re looking at. Is it a news story? “Knowing what you are looking at is the first step to figuring out what you can believe.” Part of knowing what you’re looking at involves knowing who produced the content. Another thing to know is where the organization gets its money. Does the content have an obvious political slant? Knowing what you are looking at is the first step to figuring out what you can believe. 2. News content usually cites sources for the information provided. As you read, listen or watch a piece of content, note who is being cited. 3.
11/18/18: Meet the man who makes fake news for millions of conservative Trump supporters The only light in the house came from the glow of three computer monitors, and Christopher Blair, 46, sat down at a keyboard and started to type. His wife had left for work and his children were on their way to school, but waiting online was his other community, an unreality where nothing was exactly as it seemed. He logged onto his website and began to invent his first news story of the day. "BREAKING," he wrote, pecking out each letter with his index fingers as he considered the possibilities. A new message popped onto Blair's screen from a friend who helped with his website. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month "The more extreme we become, the more people believe it," Blair replied. Blair finished typing and looked again at the picture. "Gross.
How To Tell Fake News From Real News In 'Post-Truth' Era Behind the fake news crisis lies what's perhaps a larger problem: Many Americans doubt what governments or authorities tell them, and also dismiss real news from traditional sources. But we've got tips to sharpen our skepticism. Turnbull/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption toggle caption Turnbull/Getty Images/Ikon Images Behind the fake news crisis lies what's perhaps a larger problem: Many Americans doubt what governments or authorities tell them, and also dismiss real news from traditional sources. Are we really in a post-truth era? The presidential campaign was filled with falsehoods. But let's properly define the problem. Business, government, churches and the media have fallen in public esteem. Hazardous as the post-trust era may be, it shouldn't cause despair. What we all need, as citizens, is to develop more skill in applying our skepticism. Propagandists obviously have fun (and profit from) trying to con us, the public. So here's a finder's guide for facts:
Fake news websites in the United States Fake news websites in the United States are fake news websites that deliberately publish fake news, but specifically target American audiences by creating or inflaming controversial topics such as the 2016 election.[1][2] Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real news organizations,[3] which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message.[4] Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates usually focusing on Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump,[5] as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation.[6] Additionally, satire websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles.[7][8] Definition[edit] Methods[edit] Clickbait[edit] Impersonation[edit] Typosquatting[edit] Obscurity[edit] 70news[edit]
The Fact Checker’s guide for detecting fake news Consider these points before sharing a news article on Facebook. It could be fake. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) Consider these points before sharing a news article on Facebook. Anyone active on social media has probably done this at least once: shared something based on the headline without actually reading the link. Let’s face it, you’ve probably done this many times. So the first thing you can do to combat the rise of “fake news” is to actually read articles before sharing them. Determine whether the article is from a legitimate website There’s ABC News, the television network, with the Web address of abcnews.go.com. The use of “.co” at the end of the URL is a strong clue you are looking at a fake news website. Check the ‘contact us’ page Some fake news sites don’t have any contact information, which easily demonstrates it’s phony. Examine the byline of the reporter and see whether it makes sense All of the details are signs that “Dr. Read the article closely Scrutinize the sources
Can You Tell Fake News From Real? Study Finds Students Have 'Dismaying' Inability Stanford researchers assessed students from middle school to college and found they struggled to distinguish ads from articles, neutral sources from biased ones and fake accounts from real ones. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images Stanford researchers assessed students from middle school to college and found they struggled to distinguish ads from articles, neutral sources from biased ones and fake accounts from real ones. If the children are the future, the future might be very ill-informed. That's one implication of a new study from Stanford researchers that evaluated students' ability to assess information sources and described the results as "dismaying," "bleak" and "[a] threat to democracy." As content creators and social media platforms grapple with the fake news crisis, the study highlights the other side of the equation: What it looks like when readers are duped. "The photograph had no attribution.
Fact-Checking Won’t Save Us From Fake News Fake news. We’ve used this phrase so many times in the past two months that it’s almost lost meaning — partly because it can mean so many different things. Depending on who you talk to, “fake news” may refer to satirical news, hoaxes, news that’s clumsily framed or outright wrong, propaganda, lies destined for viral clicks and advertising dollars, politically motivated half-truths, and more. Whatever definition you pick, fake news is worrying media folks. As such, news about fake news has boomed. Fact-checking is key to journalism — it’s a skill and a service that’s instrumental in providing the information to the public. Don’t get me wrong — fact-checking is a start, and some of it may even help. Fake news purveyors have even co-opted the term “fake news.” The stakes are high: Fake news has consequences. Facebook and Google keep giving users more of what they want to see through proprietary algorithms. Despite the consequences, some readers don’t seem to care.
Fighting Fake News | American Libraries Magazine Librarians—whether public, school, academic, or special—all seek to ensure that patrons who ask for help get accurate information. Given the care that librarians bring to this task, the recent explosion in unverified, unsourced, and sometimes completely untrue news has been discouraging, to say the least. According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of US adults are getting their news in real time from their social media feeds. These are often uncurated spaces in which falsehoods thrive, as revealed during the 2016 election. To take just one example, Pope Francis did not endorse Donald Trump, but thousands of people shared the “news” that he had done so. Completely fake news is at the extreme end of a continuum. The news-savvy consumer is able to distinguish fact from opinion and to discern the hallmarks of evasive language and half-truths. Librarians and journalists: natural allies Librarians can help change this trend. Information literacy at your library
theconcourse.deadspin Earlier this month, CNN’s Brian Stelter broke the news that Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner or operator of nearly 200 television stations in the U.S., would be forcing its news anchors to record a promo about “the troubling trend of irresponsible, one sided news stories plaguing our country.” The script, which parrots Donald Trump’s oft-declarations of developments negative to his presidency as “fake news,” brought upheaval to newsrooms already dismayed with Sinclair’s consistent interference to bring right-wing propaganda to local television broadcasts. You might remember Sinclair from its having been featured on John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight last year, or from its requiring in 2004 of affiliates to air anti-John Kerry propaganda, or perhaps because it’s your own local affiliate running inflammatory “Terrorism Alerts” or required editorials from former Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, he of the famed Holocaust Remembrance Day statement that failed to mention Jewish people.