How false news can spread - Noah Tavlin

Summary

This transcript discusses the phenomenon of circular reporting, where misinformation is perpetuated as sources cite each other, creating a false sense of verification. The text highlights examples, such as the antivaccination movement sparked by a discredited paper and satirical articles mistakenly cited in serious publications. It underscores the importance of verifying information, especially in the digital age, where falsehoods can spread rapidly. The conclusion urges readers to be cautious, avoid sensationalist media, and critically assess information sources to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Takeaways

• 💡 There's a quote attributed to Mark Twain that highlights how quickly false information can spread, though its attribution to Twain is doubtful.
• 🌍 The speed at which information spreads today has increased due to technological advancements.
• 📰 Previously, global media reach was limited to major newspapers and networks with direct information gathering resources.
• 🔄 Circular reporting occurs when misinformation is published by one source, reprinted by another, and then cited back by the original source.
• 📉 Circular reporting also happens when multiple publications report the same false information, making it seem verified.
• 🧬 The 1998 pseudoscientific paper linking vaccines to autism is a prime example of how misinformation can lead to widespread movements.
• 🦠 Deliberately unvaccinated children are contracting previously eradicated diseases, sometimes fatally.
• 😂 Satirical articles can be mistaken for real news, as seen with a joke article in the British Medical Journal cited over 400 times in serious publications.
• 📝 User-generated content, like wikis, often contributes to circular reporting when unverified facts are cited in published articles.
• ⚠️ The desire for quick answers can compromise the validity of information, necessitating caution in consuming and sharing news.

Q & A

What is the main message of the quote attributed to Mark Twain in the script?

The main message is that misinformation can spread quickly and widely, often before the truth has a chance to be established.

Why is it ironic that Mark Twain may never have said the quote attributed to him?

It is ironic because the spread of this false attribution itself exemplifies the quote's message about how misinformation can quickly become accepted as fact.

How has the media landscape changed from previous decades according to the script?

In previous decades, global media primarily consisted of major newspapers and networks with resources for direct information gathering, whereas today there is a proliferation of outlets that often reprint or aggregate stories.

What is circular reporting?

Circular reporting occurs when misinformation is published by one source, reprinted by another, and then cited back by the original source, creating a false verification loop.

Can you provide an example of circular reporting from the script?

One example is the 1998 pseudoscientific paper claiming that vaccinations cause autism, which was repeatedly cited despite being discredited, fueling the antivaccination movement.

How can satirical articles contribute to circular reporting?

Satirical articles can be mistaken for real news by other outlets and reprinted as factual, as illustrated by the joke article in the British Medical Journal that was referenced in serious publications over 400 times.

What role do wikis play in circular reporting?

Wikis, being user-generated content, can introduce unverified information that gets cited in articles, which are then used to validate the original wiki entries, making misinformation harder to debunk.

What benefits have recent advances in communication technology provided?

Recent advances have significantly reduced barriers to information access, allowing people to quickly obtain information from around the world.

What risk does the desire for quick answers pose?

The desire for quick answers can overshadow the need for verifying their validity, leading to the rapid spread of misinformation.

What strategies does the script suggest to combat the spread of misinformation?

The script suggests avoiding sensationalist media, searching for criticisms of suspicious information, and tracing the original sources of reports to help slow down the spread of lies and give the truth more time to emerge.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ The Elusive Origin of a Popular Quote

This paragraph introduces the famous quote often attributed to Mark Twain about how lies spread faster than the truth. Ironically, there is doubt that Twain ever said it, which underscores the quote's message. The paragraph emphasizes the increased relevance of this quote in today's media landscape, where misinformation can spread rapidly.

📰 The Evolution of Global Media

The paragraph contrasts past media structures, dominated by major newspapers and networks, with the present scenario where information spreads at unprecedented speeds. It notes that earlier, organizations like Reuters and the Associated Press were relatively unique, whereas today, such aggregators are common, facilitating faster dissemination of information.

🔄 Understanding Circular Reporting

This paragraph explains the concept of circular reporting, where misinformation published by one outlet is picked up and republished by others, creating a cycle that falsely legitimizes the information. It highlights how this phenomenon leads to the widespread acceptance of false information as verified by multiple sources.

📚 The Impact of Misinformation in Science

The paragraph gives the example of a pseudoscientific paper from 1998 that falsely linked vaccinations to autism, sparking an antivaccination movement despite being discredited. This misinformation has had severe consequences, including the resurgence of nearly eradicated diseases in unvaccinated children.

🤣 Satire Misinterpreted as Fact

This section discusses how satirical articles can be mistaken for factual reporting, citing a joke article on energy expenditure in video game players published in the British Medical Journal that was seriously referenced over 400 times in scientific publications.

🌐 The Role of User-Generated Content

The paragraph examines how user-generated content, like wikis, contributes to circular reporting. It explains how unverified information from such sources can end up in published articles and then be cited back in the wikis, making it difficult to correct the misinformation.

🚀 Balancing Speed and Accuracy in Modern Communication

The concluding paragraph reflects on the benefits and drawbacks of rapid communication technologies. It cautions against the temptation to accept quick answers without verifying their accuracy, suggesting practices like avoiding sensationalist media, seeking critical perspectives, and tracing information to its original source to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Keywords

💡Mark Twain

Mark Twain, a renowned American writer, is often misattributed with the quote 'A lie can travel halfway around the world, while the truth is putting on its shoes.' This highlights the irony of misinformation, as the quote itself is an example of misinformation by misattribution.

💡circular reporting

Circular reporting is when misinformation is published by one source, then reprinted by another, and subsequently cited by the original source as if it were verified by the second source. This creates a false appearance of multiple confirmations and can rapidly spread false information, as explained in the script.

💡misinformation

Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information spread unintentionally or deliberately. The script uses examples like the 1998 pseudoscientific paper on vaccines and autism to illustrate how misinformation can have serious real-world consequences.

💡Reuters and the Associated Press

Reuters and the Associated Press are major news agencies known for their resources to gather information directly. The script contrasts the past reliance on such reputable sources with the current proliferation of less reliable aggregators and re-reporters.

💡user-generated content

User-generated content, such as wikis, is content created by users rather than professionals. The script highlights how reliance on such content can contribute to the spread of misinformation, as unverified facts from wikis can end up being cited in articles and then re-added to the wikis.

💡vaccination

Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop protection from a disease. The script mentions the anti-vaccination movement sparked by a discredited paper, illustrating how misinformation can lead to public health risks and the resurgence of previously controlled diseases.

💡satirical articles

Satirical articles are humorous pieces that use irony or exaggeration to critique or highlight issues. The script discusses how such articles, like the one in the British Medical Journal about energy expenditure in gaming, can be mistaken for serious content, leading to circular reporting.

💡scientific community

The scientific community refers to the body of researchers and scientists who conduct research and peer review studies. The script notes how the scientific community has repeatedly discredited the 1998 paper linking vaccines to autism, yet misinformation persists due to circular reporting.

💡communication technology

Communication technology encompasses tools and platforms that enable the dissemination and exchange of information. The script emphasizes how advances in this technology have facilitated the rapid spread of misinformation, underscoring the need for critical evaluation of information.

💡sensationalist media

Sensationalist media refers to news outlets that prioritize shocking or dramatic content to attract attention. The script advises avoiding such media to prevent the spread of misinformation and suggests seeking criticism and verifying sources to ensure the accuracy of information.

Highlights

A quote often attributed to Mark Twain highlights the rapid spread of misinformation.

There's irony in doubting the authenticity of the quote, proving its point.

In previous decades, major newspapers and networks were the primary sources of global information.

The rise of outlets like Reuters and the Associated Press has changed the landscape of news reporting.

The speed of information spread today has led to the phenomenon known as circular reporting.

Circular reporting occurs when misinformation is repeated across multiple publications.

An example of circular reporting is the 1998 pseudoscientific paper linking vaccinations to autism.

This paper, despite being discredited, sparked an antivaccination movement.

Deliberately unvaccinated children are contracting diseases that were once eradicated.

Satirical articles can also contribute to misinformation if taken seriously by other outlets.

A joke article in the British Medical Journal was cited over 400 times in serious publications.

User-generated content, like wikis, is a common contributor to circular reporting.

Unverified facts from wiki pages can end up in published articles, reinforcing false information.

Advances in communication technology have benefits but also contribute to the rapid spread of misinformation.

To combat misinformation, it’s crucial to avoid sensationalist media and trace the original sources of reports.

Transcripts

There's a quote usually attributed to the writer Mark Twain that goes,

"A lie can travel halfway around the world

while the truth is putting on its shoes."

Funny thing about that.

There's reason to doubt that Mark Twain ever said this at all,

thus, ironically, proving the point.

And today, the quote, whoever said it, is truer than ever before.

In previous decades, most media with global reach

consisted of several major newspapers and networks

which had the resources to gather information directly.

Outlets like Reuters and the Associated Press

that aggregate or rereport stories were relatively rare compared to today.

The speed with which information spreads now

has created the ideal conditions for a phenomenon known as circular reporting.

This is when publication A publishes misinformation,

publication B reprints it,

and publication A then cites B as the source for the information.

It's also considered a form of circular reporting

when multiple publications

report on the same initial piece of false information,

which then appears to another author as having been verified by multiple sources.

For instance, the 1998 publication of a single pseudoscientific paper

arguing that routine vaccination of children causes autism

inspired an entire antivaccination movement,

despite the fact that the original paper has repeatedly been discredited

by the scientific community.

Deliberately unvaccinated children are now contracting contagious diseases

that had been virtually eradicated in the United States,

with some infections proving fatal.

In a slightly less dire example,

satirical articles that are formatted to resemble real ones

can also be picked up by outlets not in on the joke.

For example, a joke article in the reputable British Medical Journal entitled

"Energy Expenditure in Adolescents Playing New Generation Computer Games,"

has been referenced in serious science publications over 400 times.

User-generated content, such as wikis,

are also a common contributer to circular reporting.

As more writers come to rely on such pages for quick information,

an unverified fact in a wiki page can make its way into a published article

that may later be added as a citation for the very same wiki information,

making it much harder to debunk.

Recent advances in communication technology

have had immeasurable benefits

in breaking down the barriers between information and people.

But our desire for quick answers

may overpower the desire to be certain of their validity.

And when this bias can be multiplied by billions of people around the world,

nearly instantaneously, more caution is in order.

Avoiding sensationalist media,

searching for criticisms of suspicious information,

and tracing the original source of a report can help slow down a lie,

giving the truth more time to put on its shoes.