MISINFORMATION: STOP THE SPREAD
With less than 40 days until the election, election coverage (from all sides of the political spectrum) is all over everyone’s social media, TV news, and newspapers. A lot of what people are reading is accurate and valuable journalism. Some of it, however, is truly fake news that is being spread blindly. So how do we know if what we are reading is true? And how do we stop the spread of the fake stuff?
The non-profit Poynter Institute, a journalism and research organization, has launched its new program MediaWise, designed specifically to answer this question. Their mission is to teach people how to spot misinformation, “so they can make decisions based on facts, not fiction.”
Initially, MediaWise was focused on GenZ. Teenagers are often subject to misinformation through various forms of social media. As GenZ begins to vote, hopefully in big numbers, it is incredibly important that they are able to consume media critically and understand whether or not what they are reading is accurate.
Not Gen X Y or Z? MediaWise is here for you too. They have now expanded to reach out to older Americans. Seniors are spending more and more time on platforms like Facebook, which is often a hotbed of misinformation.
MediaWise, along with a number of other organizations and articles trying to spread awareness about the topic, has put together a few basic questions all voters should ask themselves when consuming the news.
Three questions to ask when consuming (and sharing) the news.
1. First, and perhaps most importantly: Where is this news coming from?
Look at who posted the information/content. This is especially true when looking at news spread on social media. Is this an active user? Are they on other social media platforms? Does there seem to be a real person behind this account?
2. Is there evidence?
Always look for secondary sources. If you take a few minutes to try and verify the information you are consuming, more often than not you will be able to either debunk the story or find your own evidence for it.
3. Does it pass the share test?
You may not have time to fact-check everything you read or take a course in spotting misinformation online. That’s okay. However, if you are considering re-posting or sharing the information yourself, always go the extra mile to make sure it's accurate. Hint: if you have an intense emotional response to a post, chances are it was designed to manipulate, rather than inform. What is even more harmful than fake news being written, is it being shared (blindly).
If you are interested in some of the work MediaWise is doing, and viewing videos for their CRASH COURSE: Navigating Digital Information, click here to start with their ambassador, John Green: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4aNmdL3Hr0&feature=emb_title
Be MediaWise! Check out their webpage here: https://www.poynter.org/support/ and be sure to follow their efforts on social media: @mediawise