Media Literacy - The Power (and Responsibility) of Information | Lisa Cutter | TEDxCherryCreekWomen
Summary
TLDRThe speaker passionately discusses the alarming spread of misinformation online and its divisive impact, from family gatherings to societal unrest. Emphasizing the importance of credible journalism, they highlight the decline in newsroom investments and the closure of small-town newspapers. The speaker advocates for discerning fact from opinion, understanding media bias, and using fact-checking resources to ensure the integrity of information that influences our lives and democracy.
Takeaways
- ๐ The speaker emphasizes the significant impact of communication and the alarming spread of misinformation on the internet.
- ๐ฃ๏ธ Misinformation can lead to real-life consequences, as illustrated by the speaker's personal anecdote involving a family member.
- ๐ There has been a notable decline in trust in media and a decrease in investment in news media since 2004, leading to fewer journalists and newsrooms.
- ๐ข The closure of 1,300 small-town newspapers signifies a loss of community information sources, impacting local governance and accountability.
- ๐ฐ Credible news sources employ professional journalists who adhere to a code of ethics, striving to provide unbiased and factual information.
- ๐ A 47% decrease in investment in newsrooms since 2004 has contributed to the erosion of trust in media.
- ๐ค The speaker encourages the audience to be aware of cognitive biases that can influence the interpretation of news and information.
- ๐ To be a responsible consumer of news, one should verify news by checking for ethical principles, editorial guidelines, and fact-checking.
- ๐ Media bias charts can help consumers discern credible news sources by showing the political leanings of various media outlets.
- ๐ต๏ธโโ๏ธ Fact-checking websites like PolitiFact and Snopes are valuable tools for verifying the accuracy of news stories.
- ๐ The speaker concludes by stressing the importance of education and informed decision-making for the health of democracy.
Q & A
What is the speaker's main concern regarding the internet?
-The speaker is alarmed by the proliferation of false information on the internet, which has reached alarming levels, especially during the 2016 presidential cycle.
Why did the speaker's distant family member stop coming to Thanksgiving?
-The family member stopped coming to Thanksgiving because of a disagreement over misinformation posted about Barack Obama that the speaker tried to correct.
What role does the speaker believe news media should play?
-The speaker believes that news media, as the Fourth Estate, should hold people accountable, help understand what's important, and discern fact from fiction.
How has the investment in news media changed since 2004?
-There has been a 47% decrease in investment in news media since 2004, leading to fewer news products and a reduction in the number of newspapers.
What impact does the closure of 1,300 small-town newspapers have on communities?
-The closure of 1,300 small-town newspapers means that 1,300 communities are not getting the information they need to govern their lives, including updates on school boards and city councils.
What is the speaker's view on the barrier to entry for digital news platforms?
-The speaker acknowledges that there is no barrier to entry for anyone to start a digital news platform, but emphasizes the importance of discerning credible sources from opinions.
What is the role of professional journalists according to the speaker?
-Professional journalists adhere to a code of ethics, strive to provide unbiased and factual information, and are essential for credible news sources.
Why is it important to consider cognitive biases when consuming news?
-Considering cognitive biases helps consumers of news media understand what's really true and not, as biases can influence how we interpret events and information.
What is the significance of ethical principles and guidelines in credible news sources?
-Ethical principles and guidelines in credible news sources ensure honest, fair, and fearless news gathering, reporting, and interpretation of information, maintaining editorial independence.
How can consumers of news media verify the credibility of a news source?
-Consumers can verify the credibility of a news source by checking if it adheres to a set of ethical principles, has editorial policies, and is transparent about potential conflicts of interest.
What is the speaker's advice on dealing with deep fake videos?
-The speaker advises skepticism towards deep fake videos, suggesting that consumers should not always believe what they see and should verify the authenticity of videos.
Outlines
๐ข The Impact of Misinformation
The speaker expresses concern over the spread of false information on the internet, particularly during the 2016 presidential election. They recount a personal anecdote involving the sharing of misinformation about Barack Obama, which led to a family dispute. The speaker emphasizes the importance of credible news sources and the role of professional journalists who adhere to ethical standards. They discuss the decline in news media investment and the closure of many newspapers, which has left communities without essential information. The speaker concludes by urging individuals to discern fact from opinion and to be responsible consumers of news.
๐จ Dangers of Social Media Misinformation
The speaker discusses the ease with which misinformation can spread on social media platforms and the potential for it to cause significant harm. They cite 'Pizzagate' as an example of how false information can lead to real-world violence. The speaker stresses the importance of looking for ethical principles and guidelines in news sources to determine their credibility. They also mention the role of cognitive biases in interpreting news and suggest strategies for responsible news consumption, such as understanding biases and verifying information through fact-checking sources.
๐ Evaluating News Sources and Media Bias
The speaker provides guidance on evaluating news sources by referring to media bias charts that categorize news outlets based on their perceived bias. They advocate for seeking out news from the 'middle lane' to avoid echo chambers and to make decisions based on facts. The speaker also suggests using fact-checking websites to verify the accuracy of news stories. They emphasize the importance of being informed and educated citizens in a democracy, quoting Franklin Roosevelt on the necessity of wise choices for democracy to succeed.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กCommunications
๐กMisinformation
๐กFourth Estate
๐กJournalists
๐กBias
๐กFact-Checking
๐กDeep Fakes
๐กEcho Chamber
๐กCredible News Sources
๐กMedia Bias Ratings
๐กDemocracy
Highlights
The power of communications to change the world
Alarm over the proliferation of false information on the internet
The impact of misinformation during the 2016 presidential cycle
Personal experience with the harm caused by misinformation
The importance of discerning fact from fiction in the media
The role of news media as the Fourth Estate
The erosion of trust in news media and its consequences
The decline in investment in news media since 2004
The closure of 1,300 small-town newspapers in the last year
The importance of journalists adhering to a code of ethics
The ease of starting a digital news platform and its implications
The deliberate campaign to misinform and divide society
The Pizzagate incident as an example of misinformation's real-world impact
The criteria for a credible news source
The role of cognitive biases in interpreting news
The importance of being a responsible consumer of news media
The difference between news and opinion on cable news channels
The prevalence of deep fake videos and their impact on trust
Using media bias ratings to discern credible news sources
Fact-checking sources as tools for verifying news
The importance of accurate information for democracy
The responsibility of citizens to be informed and discerning
Transcripts
[Music]
[Music]
I believe deeply in the power of
communications to change the world and
as a communications professional i've
been alarmed over the last several years
at the proliferation of false
information all over the internet you've
maybe seen it as well and about during
the last presidential cycle in 2016
it really reached a fever pitch people
were sharing and posting things that
were patently untrue and really alarming
about this time one of distant family
member of mine posted something about
barack obama that was easily disproved
it wasn't true and now mind you everyone
has their opinion in your entitled to
your opinion and there's lots of reasons
not to alike or agree with someone but
let's not get our knickers in a knot
about information that's not even real
things that aren't true so i had made
mistakes on the internet before i'm
posting things that weren't necessarily
true and people had kindly pointed it
out to me so i believed that this woman
would feel the same way as I did welcome
the welcome the redirection and I was
wrong
and she no longer comes to Thanksgiving
so that's what misinformation can do and
how it can harm us and I think that we
live in a scary time people don't know
who they can trust they don't know what
they can trust and when that happens
it's easy to manipulate people so I
believe in the for news media as the
Fourth Estate I believe like our
forefathers that the news media is here
to hold us accountable and to help us
understand what's important and discern
fact from fiction so the the media has
been eroding over the last several years
and there's a lot of reasons for that
there's is sort of a circular thing
right
fewer people read and listen to to media
the less news product they can put out
and then the fewer people you know fewer
people read and listen so it's become a
real problem and yet news media is here
to help us here to provide the
information we need to make the
decisions that govern our lives most
credible news sources will employ
professional journalists journalists who
adhere to a code of ethics because of
their profession they do their very best
to provide information that's unbiased
and factual they're all human people
make mistakes but that's that's for the
most part that's what they do there's
yet there's been about a forty seven
percent decrease in investment in news
media since 2004 47 4 in news excuse me
newsrooms
TV there's been thirteen hundred fewer
newspapers this last year 1,300
small-town newspapers shut their doors
that means that 1,300 communities are
not getting the information they need to
govern their lives they aren't hearing
about the school board they're not
hearing about city council they're not
the the reporters aren't asking tough
questions of county and city officials
people that are in charge of things that
impact lives and I think that's
important I think that's very scary so
there's there's plenty of ways to get
news right you might be saying well I
there's plenty of news online I can turn
you know go on the internet and find
something right away well I will have
you consider that there's no barrier to
entry anyone can start a digital news
platform and that's okay I mean I think
that we I believe deeply in the power of
you know expression anyone should be
able to to be out there and say share
their opinions and say what they believe
in but the problem is is that we can't
wait that as credible as we would a
normal news source the power is within
us it's really important that we pay
tension and learn to discern what we can
count on is fact versus opinion and so
we have we have that power and it's
important that we claim that so
information and misinformation
especially with some of these social
platforms can really cause some problems
because it's so easy to to have a social
media platform there's been a deliberate
campaign to misinform and divide us by
governments individuals entities that
are seeking to create divide in our
country and we can't keep letting that
happen so not only can it mess with
family dinners but it can also cause
real problems pizza gate is an example
the passed a few years ago people were
trying to discredit Hillary Clinton and
said that she was put out stories on
several platforms and really made it
look look real that she was behind a sex
trafficking ring out of a operating out
of a DC pizza parlor with with kids of
all things and how scary right of course
it was untrue and it was easily debunked
but people really bought into this and
one individual actually went in and I
can only assume that you know he was
doing what he thought was heroic and
went in and shot up a pizza parlor where
people go to eat pizza for goodness sake
go to have dinner and could have really
hurt someone and it's only it's a
miracle that no one was hurt or killed
so that's pretty scary so it's up to us
to look for the things that make
information and make news credible so
one way we can know and we can check
things is that a real a real credible
news source is going to have a set of
ethical principles and guidelines that
they adhere to this is an example from
The Economist and they for example say
honest fair and fearless and news
gathering reporting and interpreting
information they want to maintain
editorial independence reporters use
objective data
and research to support their work and
on the other side they have policies
around conflicts of interest one thing
new employees that previously worked in
partisan positions are forbidden from
covering politics so credible news
sources are going to have those kinds of
checks and balances have policies
governing editorial and how they gather
and share information so there's a lot
of things that you can do to be a
responsible consumer of news media you
can understand the role that
confirmation bias stereotyping and other
cognitive biases play in how we
interpret events news and information we
all have a framework that how we view
the world and that's just normal we're
all human families our education where
we grew up all these things influence
how we look at news but if you recognize
that bias that can help you in
understanding what's really true and not
so if you see a headline for example
that really elicits a strong response to
you or for you that might be because you
have an existing bias so go look it up
research it a little bit and see where
else that newsroom was reported so you
understand and consider your role as a
citizen in a democracy and your
responsibility as a civic participant
and a citizen watchdog that is so
important the things that we share and
we talk about with our friends and our
neighbors and the people that trust us
in turn influence them these things
matter in making decisions in our lives
so be responsible and consider yourself
as a participant in democracy understand
the standards of quality journalism that
are designed to minimize the influence
of individual and group biases like the
slide the previous slide I just showed
you that's any any credible news
organization is going to have those
kinds of things and develop strategies
for verifying news and information and I
would I would add as well there's
there's a difference between
an opinion when 10 people are talking on
a cable news channel about a Pete 1
piece of news for 20 minutes that's not
news that's their opinion about that
piece of news so I like to stick to the
facts and make my decisions accordingly
and also deep fake videos you can't
always believe what you see and you can
do is believe what you hear
deep fake videos have become rampant
people will be talking on a video and
you're certain it's the words are coming
out of this individuals mouth and it's
not necessarily true there's some very
sophisticated techniques for
manipulating video so here's another
example of a tool that you can use in
discerning what's how to evaluate your
news this is news media bias ratings and
there's a whole bunch of these charts
online they're pretty easy to find media
grid I think you can search and this one
in particular has you know the center
these sources USA Today Wall Street
Journal NPR Christian Science Monitor AP
there's some great sources in the middle
and that's really where I tried to stick
I tried to stick to the middle lane I
don't want to live in an echo chamber I
don't want to have my beliefs
continually reinforced I like to just
have this the facts and they make my
decisions accordingly so and then it
shows you know far right far left
different sources so there's several of
those that I find really helpful then
there's another thing you can also check
there's fact-checking sources where you
can check a news an article that you or
a story that you saw and you want to
check into it there's several sources
and this is a source it actually checks
the fact checker if you will so these
are they've claimed are pretty credible
PolitiFact Snopes Snopes is a good ol
iView Snopes a lot truth or fiction
these are great sources for checking the
facts of a story so you you're armed
with that these are more biased sources
so there's fact checker from the
Washington Post fact myth check your
- zebra fact so not all fact checkers
are created equally apparently
and I would would contend that this is
so important to our democracy and to the
divides that are in our country is to
have the right information and be able
to share and discuss things
intelligently and not worry about things
that don't even matter that aren't even
true there's plenty of things that
divide us and we can't continue to let
that happen
that's our responsibility as Franklin
Roosevelt said democracy cannot succeed
unless those who express their choice
are prepared to choose wisely
the real safeguard of democracy
therefore is education information is
power let's take back our power
[Applause]
[Music]
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