Skill: Click Through & Find with Mike Caulfield

Summary

This video script emphasizes the importance of verifying information by tracing it back to its original source to avoid misleading or deceptive content. It illustrates how re-reporting can alter the context and presents strategies to find and assess the accuracy of the original reporting. The script uses examples, such as a headline about Canadian views on defunding the police and a tweet misrepresenting a political leader's stance, to demonstrate the process of fact-checking and the significance of context in understanding news stories.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Verifying information by going back to the original source is crucial to avoid misleading or deceptive information.
• 🗣️ The context of a story can be lost or altered when it's re-reported, which can lead to misinformation.
• 🔗 If a website doesn't provide a link to the original source, use search techniques to find it.
• 📊 A slim majority in polls, like 51%, should not be exaggeratedly reported as a broad consensus.
• 📰 The original source often provides more accurate and nuanced information compared to re-reports.
• 📈 Understanding the context, like the meaning of 'defund the police', is essential for informed discussions.
• 🚫 Misinformation can spread through false context or framing, where real content is shared with a misleading summary.
• 🔎 Use 'find in page' feature (ctrl-f or command-f) to quickly verify claims within a webpage.
• 👀 Always check the original source and not just rely on someone else's summary, even if it's from a reputable source.
• ✅ The habit of tracing information to its original source can lead to higher quality and more complete information.

Q & A

Why is it important to trace information back to its original source?

Tracing information back to its original source is important because it helps to ensure that the information has not been distorted or misrepresented through re-reporting or false context.

What is the analogy used in the script to describe the process of tracing information?

The script uses the analogy of 'going back to the first person in a game of broken telephone' to explain the importance of finding the original source of information.

What is re-reporting and how can it lead to misinformation?

Re-reporting is when a website takes information originally reported elsewhere, summarizes it, and possibly blends it with other information or sources. This can lead to misinformation if crucial details are omitted or if the summary is misleading.

How can one find the original source of a story if it's not provided?

If the original source is not provided, one can usually find it using search terms and the same techniques used to verify if a claim was reported by other sources.

What did the Global News article reveal about the majority of Canadians' views on defunding the police?

The Global News article, based on a poll by Ipsos, revealed that 51 percent of Canadians support the idea of defunding the police, which is a slim majority.

What is the difference between the headline in the re-reported story and the original Global News article?

The re-reported story's headline exaggeratedly claimed a majority of Canadians support defunding the police, while the Global News headline more accurately described Canadians as divided on the issue.

Why is it beneficial to get into the habit of tracing information to the original source?

Tracing information to the original source can lead to higher quality sources that often provide more complete or nuanced stories, which helps in avoiding misinformation.

What is false context or false framing, and how does it spread misinformation?

False context or false framing occurs when real content is shared with a false comment or summary that misrepresents the story, leading to the spread of misinformation.

How can one verify the accuracy of a claim made on social media, such as a tweet?

One can verify the accuracy of a claim on social media by clicking through to the linked source and using the 'find in page' feature to search for keywords related to the claim.

What technique can be used to quickly check the accuracy of a claim within a webpage?

The 'find in page' feature can be used to quickly search for keywords within a webpage to verify the accuracy of a claim or to find additional context.

How did the person who shared the story on Twitter misrepresent the actual content of the Globe and Mail article?

The person on Twitter misrepresented the Globe and Mail article by claiming that the NDP leader praised Trump and suggested Canada should adopt US policies, which was not supported by the actual content of the article.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Verifying Information Sources

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of verifying the accuracy of information by tracing it back to its original source. It uses the analogy of the 'broken telephone' game to illustrate how information can become distorted as it's passed along. The example of a news story about Canadian support for defunding the police is given, highlighting how re-reporting can lead to misleading headlines and a lack of context. The paragraph advises using search techniques to find the original source and checking for proper representation, which can lead to more reliable and nuanced information.

Keywords

💡Context

Context refers to the circumstances or setting in which something occurs, providing background and understanding. In the video, the importance of context is emphasized to avoid misinformation, as it can be lost or misrepresented when stories are shared online. The script mentions that going back to the original source can provide the necessary context, as seen in the example of the story about Canadians' support for defunding the police, where the original source provides a more nuanced view.

💡Misleading Information

Misleading information is data or statements that create a false or inaccurate impression. The video discusses how stories can become misleading when shared online due to the loss of original context or intentional manipulation. An example in the script is the re-reporting of a poll's results, which might be summarized in a way that doesn't accurately represent the findings, thus misleading the audience.

💡Original Source

The original source is the first or primary publication or report of information. The video stresses the importance of verifying information by tracing it back to its original source to ensure accuracy and completeness. For instance, the script contrasts a headline claiming 'majority of Canadians support defunding the police' with the original poll results from Global News, which show a slim majority and a more divided public opinion.

💡Re-reporting

Re-reporting is the act of reporting on information that was originally reported by another source. The video explains that while re-reporting can be helpful by summarizing and consolidating information, it can also lead to the omission of critical details. The example of the story about Canadian views on defunding the police illustrates how re-reporting can alter the original message.

💡Verification

Verification is the process of checking the truth or accuracy of something. The video encourages viewers to verify the information they receive by going to the original source or using search functions to ensure that the information has not been misrepresented. The script demonstrates this by showing how to use 'find in page' to verify claims made in a tweet about a political leader's statement.

💡False Context

False context occurs when real content is shared with a false comment or summary that misrepresents the original story. The video uses the example of a tweet that misrepresents a political leader's stance on race policies by taking his comments out of context, showing how easily information can be distorted when shared without proper context.

💡Search Terms

Search terms are words or phrases used to find relevant information in a search engine or within a document. The video script provides a method for finding the original source of a story by using search terms related to the claim, which is demonstrated when the speaker searches for the original article about Canadian opinions on defunding the police.

💡Misinformation

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information, especially when it is spread unintentionally. The video discusses how misinformation can spread through false context or framing, where real content is shared with a misleading summary. An example is the tweet that misrepresents a political leader's comments, leading to the spread of misinformation.

💡Majority

A majority is the greater part or number in a group. In the video, the term is used to discuss how a slim majority (51%) in a poll was initially reported as 'the majority of Canadians,' which could be seen as an exaggeration. The video emphasizes the importance of accurate representation of data to avoid misleading the audience.

💡Divided Opinion

A divided opinion refers to a situation where people have differing views on a subject. The video uses the Global News headline 'Canadians are divided on the issue' to illustrate a more accurate representation of the poll results compared to the initial headline that claimed a majority supported defunding the police, showing the importance of nuanced reporting.

💡Systemic Racism

Systemic racism is the presence of racism within the social system, including institutions, policies, and practices. The video script touches on this concept when discussing a political leader's call for addressing systemic racism in Canada, highlighting the complexity of the issue and the potential for misunderstandings when it is discussed in the media.

Highlights

Stories and claims can lose context online, leading to misleading or deceptive information.

It's crucial to trace information back to the original source to verify its accuracy.

The analogy of 'broken telephone' is used to illustrate the importance of original sources.

Re-reporting can lead to information loss and misrepresentation.

Original reporting sources are often provided with links, aiding in verification.

Lack of provided links doesn't hinder finding original stories; search techniques can be used.

Global News commissioned a poll revealing 51% of Canadians support defunding the police.

Headlines can exaggerate or misrepresent the content; original sources provide a more accurate picture.

Context is vital for understanding stories, and original sources often provide this.

Misinformation spreads through false context or framing, misrepresenting real content.

A Tweet example shows how a story's summary can be misleading if not verified with the original source.

Using search functions on web pages to verify claims is a quick and effective method.

The importance of verifying summaries provided by unknown or untrusted sources.

The practical demonstration of using 'ctrl+f' to search for keywords in a web page.

The necessity of checking the entire story for accuracy, not just relying on keywords.

The conclusion emphasizes the value of verifying information to combat misinformation.

Transcripts

When stories and claims travel online they  can lose important context and sometimes  

misleading or deceptive information can take  its place. So when looking at a story or a  

photo that reaches you, it's important to get  as close to the original source as possible.

Think of it like going back to the first person in  a game of broken telephone. You know the message  

that reached you, but to find out whether it's  been garbled you've got to go back to the original  

source. The good news is it's relatively easy  to get closer to the original source and once  

you have found that source, easy to figure out  whether the source has been properly represented.

Let's look at an example: the headline  of this story claims that the majority  

of Canadians support defunding the police. Now  this is a case of re-reporting. Often a website  

will take information originally reported  somewhere else. The site may summarize that  

original report, cut parts out, blend it with  other information, other sources on the same  

topic and that can be helpful, but a lot can  be left out in that process of re-reporting.  

If we scroll down, we see that there is a link  included to the original reporting source,  

Global News, and we're lucky  here since we're given that link.

But if the site hadn't provided  that link it wouldn't matter.  

You can usually find the original story using  the search terms, the same sort of techniques  

we used earlier, to see if a claim  was reported by other sources.

Now what do we learn when we  look at this Global News article?  

Well, so Global commissioned a poll from the  polling firm Ipsos and it found that 51 percent of  

Canadians support the idea of defunding the  police. Now first we notice the headline  

here is a little bit different, right, a little  bit different than on the story that we found.  

The original headline referred to a majority of  Canadians, but this feels a little bit exaggerated  

since in this case the majority is very slim-  just 51 to 49. The Global headline here is much  

more measured, probably more accurate,  saying Canadians are divided on the issue.

Looking at the Global story we also get more  context. First, the article describes what defund  

the police means which is important context for  this discussion. Getting into the habit of tracing  

information to the original source can  help bring you to higher quality sources,  

sources which often provide this more  complete or more nuanced story. One way  

misinformation can spread is through false  context. False context or false framing  

is when real content is shared with a false  comment or summary that misrepresents the story.

Take this Tweet. This person shared a surprising  story on Twitter claiming that the NDP leader  

praised US president Donald Trump and said  that Canada should adopt US policies on race.  

Now initially this looks good. The link  that they shared goes to the Globe and Mail,  

a reliable source. The headline suggests that  the story is actually about Singh asking Prime  

Minister Trudeau to address systemic racism in  Canada. But there's two parts to this, right?  

There's the linked story, right, which is from a  reputable source which we know and then there's  

this reaction to what's said in that story, which  here is provided by someone that we don't know.

So what do we do? Well we start by just  clicking into the story right? That's step one.  

For step two we want to see if this  claim is accurate or if we're missing  

additional context. Now we can read the whole  story from top to bottom but a faster way  

to check this is to search the page  for keywords, so let's do that here.  

Many of you will already know how to search a web  page but just in case on desktop browsers you use  

ctrl-f, command-f on a Mac. On a phone,  use this little drop down on your browser-  

this is usually in the upper right hand corner.  It says "find in page" or something like that.  

We plug in the search terms and since we're  interested in whether Singh actually praised  

Trump let's just start with "Trump." This  brings us immediately to the quote in question  

where Singh does reference Trump but it's hardly  praise. He accuses Trudeau of doing even less  

than Trump in terms of policy change, but also  says that Trump has been horrible on this issue.  

If we go back to our ctrl+f trick an plug-in  "policy" we see that this is the only reference  

to policy in the article. Singh isn't exactly  saying that Canada should adopt US policies.

It's an interesting article. Singh is certainly  critical of how the Canadian government is  

addressing systemic racism, but his response  was completely misrepresented by the person  

who shared the story on Twitter. The upshot is  this: if a source that you don't know or trust is  

summarizing a link for you, verify their summary  by clicking through and executing a simple search