Media Literacy Basics (1/3)

Summary

This workshop focuses on media literacy, emphasizing the importance of understanding and critically evaluating news from various sources. Jessica Keebler and Megan McGivney discuss the evolution of media, from centralized corporations to digital platforms, and the impact on information diversity. They provide strategies for navigating media, including questioning the creator's intent, identifying biases, and seeking multiple perspectives. The session addresses media's potential pitfalls, such as propaganda, conspiracy theories, and sensationalist news, and offers guidance on discerning reliable sources amidst the noise.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Media Literacy Defined**: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication, including understanding how messages are created and consumed.
• 🌐 **Evolution of Media**: From centralized mass media controlled by corporations or state entities to a decentralized digital landscape with diverse sources and individual contributions.
• 🤔 **Navigating Media**: It's crucial to question who created the media, their goals, what's left out, other perspectives, your agreement with the content, and the intended audience.
• 📰 **Types of Media**: Distinguish between local, national, and international news outlets, recognizing each has its own purposes, agendas, and journalistic standards.
• 🎯 **Bias and Editorialization**: Be aware of infotainment, commentary news, and how they may present news stories with a slant towards a particular ideology or for entertainment.
• 🔍 **Critical Evaluation**: When consuming media, consider the emotional language, the presence of bias, and the inclusion or exclusion of certain voices and perspectives.
• 📈 **Media's Impact on Society**: Understand the role of propaganda, conspiracy theories, and sensationalist news in creating polarization and chaos in the media landscape.
• 🚫 **Red Flags in Media**: Be wary of media that uses emotional language, presents only one side of a story, lacks references or citations, or provides unreliable sources.
• 📌 **Trusted News Sources**: Recognize that all media has some form of bias, but there are generally trusted sources that provide a broader context and factual reporting.
• 💡 **Balanced Consumption**: Aim for a balanced media diet, being aware of the potential for misinformation and the importance of fact-checking and critical thinking.

Q & A

What is media literacy according to the video?

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. It involves understanding how messages are created and consumed in various forms of media.

How has the media landscape changed with the advent of digital technologies?

Digital technologies, particularly social media, have allowed for a freer flow of information, reducing reliance on single information sources. This has led to a decentralization of news and an increase in the variety of sources from which information can be obtained.

What are the different types of media formats discussed in the video?

The video discusses traditional media formats like print, radio, and television, and also includes newer formats such as the internet, social media, and hybrid media forms like paid posts that blend advertising and editorial content.

Why is it important to be aware of the media's agenda and purpose when consuming news?

Understanding the media's agenda and purpose is crucial because it helps consumers critically evaluate the information presented, ensuring they are not swayed by bias or propaganda, and can discern the accuracy and fairness of the news.

What are some strategies to navigate media effectively as outlined in the video?

Some strategies include asking critical questions such as who created the media, what is their goal, what is being left out, are there other perspectives, and whether the information is intended for a particular group or ideology.

How does the video differentiate between news, commentary, and opinion pieces?

The video explains that news is meant to provide objective facts, commentary often has a clear political bias and aims to persuade, while opinion pieces present one person's interpretation of the facts and are not expected to present all sides of a story.

What role do sensationalist news sources play in the media landscape according to the video?

Sensationalist news sources often use emotionally charged language and present information in a way that is designed to trigger reactions and favor a particular viewpoint. They can contribute to polarization and misinformation if not critically evaluated.

Why are memes and satire problematic when used as sources of information according to the video?

Memes and satire are problematic because they often lack citations, condense complex topics into oversimplified images or jokes, and can be created by anyone without factual verification. They can spread misinformation quickly and are often mistaken for factual information.

What are some red flags to look for when evaluating the credibility of a news source as mentioned in the video?

Red flags include the use of emotional language, presenting only one side of a situation, and a lack of references or citations. Additionally, relying on sources that only link back to themselves can be a sign of unreliable reporting.

How does the video suggest improving one's media literacy skills?

The video suggests improving media literacy by critically engaging with media, asking the right questions, seeking out a variety of perspectives, fact-checking, and being aware of one's own biases when consuming information.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Media Literacy Workshop

The video script introduces a workshop on media literacy, focusing on news media. Jessica Keebler and Megan McGivney present, discussing the evolution of media and the importance of understanding it. They define media literacy as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using various forms of communication. The script emphasizes that media literacy is not just about consuming media but also about creating and using information responsibly. The presenters encourage viewers to reflect on their own media consumption and confidence in navigating news and other forms of media.

05:00

🌐 Understanding the Media Landscape

This section delves into the various forms of media, from traditional print, radio, and television to the internet and social media. It discusses how the media landscape has changed, with a shift from centralized news sources to a more diverse and decentralized model. The script highlights the complexity of modern media, where advertisements can resemble articles and tweets can be news. It also touches on the different types of news outlets, from local to international, and the unique purposes and standards each might have.

10:02

🔍 Critical Questions for Media Consumption

The script provides a set of critical questions to ask when consuming media, such as the creator's intent, what's being omitted, and whether other perspectives are included. It uses examples from various news sources to illustrate how to apply these questions. The examples include an opinion piece from the Washington Times and a straight news article from The Insider, showing how different outlets can present the same story with different biases and focuses. The section emphasizes the importance of being aware of one's own emotions and opinions when reading and the value of seeking out additional perspectives.

15:03

📰 Analyzing News Articles and Bias

This part of the script analyzes specific news articles to demonstrate how to identify and understand bias. It looks at articles from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, showing how they present information in a more balanced and factual manner compared to more sensationalist or opinion-driven pieces. The script also discusses the role of local news in providing on-the-ground perspectives and the importance of considering multiple sources to get a comprehensive view of a story.

20:05

🚨 When Media Goes Wrong: Propaganda and Misinformation

The script addresses the darker side of media, including propaganda, conspiracy theories, and the misuse of information. It discusses how propaganda can be used to manipulate opinions and spread false narratives, using examples like Russia Today and the weaponization of mask-wearing debates. It also touches on the dangers of conspiracy theories, such as Pizzagate and QAnon, and the impact of bots and misinformation on social media. The section serves as a warning about the chaos these elements can cause in the media landscape and the importance of being a critical consumer of news.

25:07

🤔 Navigating Media with Skepticism and Discourse

The final part of the script emphasizes the need for skepticism in media consumption, warning against the dangers of believing everything or nothing at all. It discusses the role of memes and satire in spreading misinformation and the importance of fact-checking. The script provides a list of trusted news sources and red flags to look for in unreliable media. It concludes with a call for discourse over debate, encouraging viewers to engage in open conversations based on facts and critical thinking.

Keywords

💡Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. In the context of the video, it is emphasized as a critical skill for navigating the complex media landscape. The video defines media literacy as not just consuming media but also creating and using information responsibly, which is crucial for discerning the credibility of news and other media content.

💡Bias

Bias refers to a predisposition or preference towards one side or another in a debate or discussion. The video discusses how media outlets can have inherent biases that influence the way news is presented. It is important for media consumers to recognize potential biases to critically evaluate the information they receive, as exemplified by the contrast between opinion pieces and objective news reporting.

💡Infotainment

Infotainment is a blend of information and entertainment, where the primary goal is to entertain rather than purely inform. The video mentions shows like the 'Today Show' as examples of infotainment, where news is presented in a way that is meant to engage and amuse the audience, sometimes at the expense of in-depth analysis or coverage of serious issues.

💡Digital Technologies

Digital technologies encompass the tools and platforms that facilitate the creation, distribution, and consumption of media content. The video highlights how new digital technologies, particularly social media, have revolutionized the media landscape by allowing for a freer flow of information and enabling individuals to contribute to public discourse, thus changing the dynamics of media consumption.

💡Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are elaborate, false stories that often aim to discredit established facts or institutions. The video warns about the dangers of conspiracy theories, such as QAnon and the Sandy Hook misinformation, which not only spread distrust but can also have real-world consequences for individuals and society.

💡Satire

Satire is a genre of humor that uses irony, sarcasm, and parody to critique or mock aspects of society. The video discusses satire as a form of media that is intended for entertainment and should not be taken as factual information. It cautions viewers to recognize satire to avoid mistaking humor for reality, as exemplified by the confusion surrounding articles from 'The Onion'.

💡Memes

Memes are cultural symbols or ideas that are transmitted from person to person, often in the form of images or videos with text. The video points out that while memes can be a fun way to communicate, they are often problematic when used to convey information due to their lack of citations, oversimplification of complex topics, and potential for bias.

💡Fact-Checking

Fact-checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of statements or claims made in the media. The video underscores the importance of fact-checking in countering misinformation and conspiracy theories. It suggests that a simple act of fact-checking can prevent the spread of false information and help maintain a healthy media environment.

💡Polarization

Polarization refers to the division of people into opposing groups with little common ground. The video discusses how media can contribute to polarization by presenting biased or one-sided information, leading to a divided public opinion. It calls for a balanced approach to media consumption to mitigate the effects of polarization.

💡Bots

Bots are automated software applications that can perform tasks on the internet, including posting on social media. The video mentions how bots can be used nefariously to spread misinformation or create confusion, as in the case of bot farms accused of interfering in political elections by posting false information.

💡Local News

Local news refers to news coverage that is specific to a particular region or community. The video suggests that local news sources can provide on-the-ground perspectives and in-depth coverage of events, which may be lacking in national or international news outlets. It encourages viewers to seek out local news for a more comprehensive understanding of events.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of media literacy and its importance in navigating news and various media formats.

Definition of media literacy as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.

Discussion on the evolution of media from centralized corporations to digital platforms allowing for a wider range of information sources.

The role of social media in changing the landscape of news consumption and the potential for information bias.

Importance of understanding how messages are created and consumed in media for media literacy.

The complexity of modern media, including the blending of advertisements with news content.

Differentiation between local, national, and international news sources and their respective scopes and biases.

Exploration of infotainment and commentary news, highlighting the editorial choices and potential biases in news presentation.

Advice on self-reflection for media consumers to assess their confidence in navigating news and media.

Strategies for evaluating media sources by asking critical questions about the creator's intent, omitted information, and perspectives.

Analysis of a Washington Times opinion piece to demonstrate how to identify and navigate media bias.

Comparison of news coverage from different sources to illustrate the variance in factual reporting and opinion presentation.

Discussion on the role of sensationalist news and the dangers of misinformation in polarizing the media landscape.

Examples of propaganda in media, including government-run media and its impact on public perception.

The impact of conspiracy theories and misinformation on public trust and the media landscape.

The role of bots in spreading false information and their influence on public opinion.

Critique of memes as a source of news, highlighting their lack of citations and potential for spreading misinformation.

Satire as a form of media and the importance of recognizing its humorous intent versus mistaking it for factual news.

Encouragement for media consumers to find a balanced approach to news consumption, avoiding extreme skepticism or gullibility.

Conclusion with a call to action for discourse over debate, emphasizing the need for thoughtful conversation in media literacy.

Transcripts

hello everyone and welcome to media

literacy basics

so we are going to briefly discuss

all kinds of media today but we're

really going to be focusing on

news in this workshop and across the

other two that we will be having this

month

so just to introduce ourselves my name

is jessica keebler

and i am an instructional services

librarian at the mortola library

and i am presenting today with megan

mcgivney an

english adjunct professor at the new

york city campus

so what are we going to talk about in

today's session first

we'll define what media literacy is

we will talk about what and who are the

media

we'll talk about what happens when the

media goes wrong and then we'll talk

about some strategies and examples

for navigating media so let's take a

look at a definition

media literacy is not only the ability

to understand information being

presented to us

but also determining the best way to

respond to it when we say media we are

speaking about the way people

communicate around the world

whether it is through print radio and

television the internet or new forms of

media

for the past century mass media has been

produced by corporations or state

entities

that control the content of messages

communicated to the public

these organizations edit news

advertising and other information

before the public sees the final product

new digital technologies such as social

media

allow for a new freer flow of

information no longer do we rely solely

on one source of information

but our information comes from a wide

variety of sources

in addition each and every person has

the ability to contribute to the public

exchange of knowledge

of course the information that we

receive may still be biased

so it is important that we understand

how messages are created and consumed

in all forms of media this understanding

is the definition of media literacy

so that's a basic definition of media

literacy and how it has

developed so it's the ability to access

analyze evaluate create and act using

all forms of communication

so notice that creating information and

using information responsibly are

also parts of media literacy not just

consuming

so when you share information or create

your own posts and videos

that is part of using media

so we just want you to take a moment you

can pause the video if you need to

and just reflect on your own news and

media consumption so

how confident do you feel in navigating

the news

or how confident do you feel in

navigating other forms of media

as well

so what is what does media look like

because in the span of a day

you may encounter tweets books

videos website articles advertisements

and there may be cases of hybrid media

like this paid

post from ibm on the new york times

which is

really an ad and an article so media

sometimes spans

types of sources and

as i just mentioned sometimes ads look

like articles and tweets can be

news so it's easy to see how the term

media is really

complex these days so with that let's

step back and simplify for a bit

so the term media by definition is a

format

and the first three here print radio and

television

still exist obviously but they're no

longer the main way that people stay up

to date with fast-moving information

such as news

and the web really started to become a

format for news

in the mid 1990s but really became

indispensable in the early 2000s

and that includes social media and as we

began to

really see an increase over the past few

decades of the term

media being used to describe news as a

whole

it's usually in a derogatory way to kind

of express

who controls the story when really media

is about

format okay so as the video mentioned

prior to the internet news was more

centralized into a few companies that

edited the news

television news really started to become

more diverse in the 1980s

and then added more voices to the

conversation then the internet kind of

exploded and there was more competition

and less people were paying for new

subscriptions like physical papers for

their house

so revenue decreased and there was a

huge decentralization of news and a lot

more different outlets

which leads us to now where there are so

many places to get news and we really

have to be savvy about reviewing each

source and each individual piece of

information

so if we look at the different location

based news outlets

we have our local news which in the in

new york we could consider

low hud the journal news for the hudson

valley is a local

i guess county-sized paper but you may

have town newspapers too

then there's more national coverage like

the new york times although they do

cover international they do mostly

america

and then there's international there's

bbc al jazeera

there's lots of different international

news organizations

but now media also includes all of these

other news outlets at the bottom

all of these organizations have their

own purposes agendas

selection criteria for stories and

journalism standards

so for example infotainment is the term

that we use for uh news that's meant to

entertain

it provides you with information but at

the end of the day the purpose is to

make you laugh like daily show

or the today show to kind of get your

day started so they may

present news stories but they're going

to present either the ones that are the

most um

important for the day or the ones that

are just going to

entertain you make you laugh make you

smile so there are some editorial

is there is editorialization happening

where they're selecting specific stories

to tell you based on their purpose

similarly with commentary news they have

to run for 24 hours a day

so they're going to be editorializing in

a different way they're going to be

telling you

either everything that you need to know

or repeating the same things

over and over again so the different

viewers who join throughout the day

will be able to get all of that

information and a lot of time though

those are very biased towards a

particular um

ideological side so those we really

consider commentary versus street

objective news

there's also online magazines like the

atlantic and the national review

they may also have print versions as

well

or they may have uh completely

transitioned online

some of those are general uh

in terms of the their political leanings

some are more conservative some are more

liberal so

you would just have to evaluate for that

and then there's commentary

and company websites that are more uh

geared towards trades so cnet for

computers

uh the hollywood reporter for the

entertainment industry

uh and these are really geared towards

telling people

news in that particular arena so take a

second again maybe you want to pause the

video

and just think think a little bit where

do you currently get your news uh were

any of the places that you go

represented in the previous slide

and then why do you get it there

so according to every news organization

the purpose may be

to inform but as media consumers we

should be evaluating how they're doing

at that goal

we know that infotainment such as the

today show is sharing news but they're

also eliminating some stories that they

don't want to share during their

feel-good time

news commentary like cnn and fox have

clear political biases so

it would seem like they're trying to

persuade you to think like them

so does that mean that we avoid this

media altogether no we don't have to

um but we hope that across these

sessions that we can explain how asking

the right questions of

both ourselves and the media that we're

consuming that can help us determine

what is most accurate fair and balanced

so these are some questions that you can

ask yourself when you're navigating any

type of media

so who created this what's their goal

what is being left out are there other

perspectives that are not represented

do i agree with what's being said

sometimes that can actually be causing

us to

lean towards confirmation bias if i

agree with it i may be

inclined to just believe it more without

critically thinking about it

who is it intended for is it for a

particular

group a trade a specific ideology

uh that kind of goes back to what their

goal was who is it intended for

and whose voices are included or

excluded should we seek out

additional perspectives are all the

stakeholders involved in the story

quoted or is their side being presented

so let's look at some examples

so this is an article from the

washington times

and if we don't know whether or not this

is a

straight objective news source we can

look at their header

it says reliable reporting the right

opinion

and if we go to their about page it'll

confirm that

right in this case in means conservative

so

that's the viewpoint that they're

bringing to their journalism

we also want to note that it's an

opinion piece sometimes that can be easy

to miss when we're reading

news websites because we're just

scanning through as quickly as we

possibly can

but it is an opinion and opinion pieces

are valuable because they do provide

various perspectives on straight

objective facts

but we do have to be aware that this is

one person's opinion and not

all of the facts of the story

so the headline is joe biden finally

finds copy of constitution on mask

mandates

so we can ask ourselves who created this

media what's their goal

as we said it's a conservative media

outlet so their goal is to connect with

their intended audience of conservatives

um and it's this author's interpretation

of the facts

so what's being left out we may consider

if it's a conservative media outlet that

maybe there's another

side that is missing so we want to find

what's factually accurate

consider the opinion and then see if

there are other facts to the story as

well

in looking outside into other

sources on this story and then do i

agree with

what's being said it's very important to

be in touch with your own emotions and

opinions as you read especially when

you're reading

other opinion pieces so here's a little

bit

of the analysis itself there's some

highlighted portions add this to the

reasons not to vote for joe biden

actually this should be a constitutional

no duh

and it's what took him so long to reach

this obvious conclusion

so you know one thing to look for when

reading for bias although we did

establish this is an opinion piece

uh you want to be looking for emotional

sarcastic insulting language

um so it's their prerogative to approach

it this way

but you if you encounter this in what's

being presented as a straight objective

news story

that would be a problem as i said

opinion pieces and their perspectives

aren't

are valuable but the problem is when we

have only commentary and we forget to

hold tight to the facts

that's when we can have hyper

polarization that we're kind of engaging

in right now

so here's another perspective on the

mask mandate story

um this is actually from a straight

objective news source and it's not an

opinion piece

it's from the insider which i googled to

find out a little more about them

they're an american media

company known for publishing financial

news

it's very recent i think it was two days

before the previous article

but notice the headline is a lot less

emotional it's

it's a factual statement kamala harris

walks

back biden's call for a nationwide

mandate to wear a mask

and here's some of the content so kamala

harris the democratic vice prince

presidential nominee walked back joe

biden's promise for a nationwide mandate

to wear a mask saying that they will

enforce

a standard of mask wearing it will not

be

a nationwide burden to wear a mask so

we kind of looked at who created this

and what their goal is their goal seems

to be

to provide a objective straight facts

from of what happened

um and we can see in comparing this to

the opinion piece that this one focused

on the clarification of language from

the biden campaign

as opposed to their interpretation of

the original

statement and in order to see what's

being left out we would want to read the

rest of the article

see the facts that they present and ask

ourselves are they providing a back

story are they explaining why

this happened using the facts involved

again same thing even though we're

reading a straight opinion or a straight

news piece rather than an opinion we

still want to be in touch with our

emotions and opinions as we read

i might agree with this so i might just

wholeheartedly accept it as fact

but i want to again critically think and

consider

what's the truth

so here's another story called absence

of coronavirus a deal prompts blame game

in washington uh this is actually from

the wall street journal

so if i wasn't sure i could check their

um

their bias and their leaning to verify

that this is presented as

a street news story again a

non-emotionally charged headline

um it does say blame game but that's

actually pretty standard right

uh we have to go past the headlines even

if it was

a slightly biased headline we'd still

want to go past the headline and really

find out what the article says

so in the article it says that

democrats privately hope that prospects

of a larger deal will improve after the

election

but then they say that republicans are

saying democratic ambitions for a larger

package block

narrower help for households and

businesses so this is about a blame game

that's what they're saying the article

is about and you can see that they're

considering both sides

they're not just looking at um how one

side is acting

and saying that it's a blame game so

again with things like this

we want to be sure of our opinion and

this seems to be

um intended for general audiences

although the wall street journal

is known for their business reporting so

they are taking kind of a financial

angle

as well and later in the article they

quote someone else involved

the senate finance committee chair chuck

grassley who's a republican from iowa

so he said if you'd asked me two or

three weeks ago i'd say things are very

very negative referring to the economic

impact of no further stimulus aid

so they're talking to someone involved

someone who has

a stake in this as a senate finance

committee chairman

so again we want to look for additional

perspectives they're going to add

more context and facts so i could

the way we looked at the masked mandate

article in two different places

we might want to look for information on

this

topic in additional places so there's a

website called

allsides.com and they do a nice

side by side like is shown here from the

center

from the right and from the left and how

this information is being presented and

they will link to those articles

sometimes it's not an easy split of you

know right center left

they do kind of make it very tidy and

like it easily splits up and that's not

always the case but

sometimes it is very easy to see

so these are very openly biased sources

which we'd call sensationalist news

so right help alternet report the truth

um

republicans disgraceful relief bills the

real reason they're keeping americans

home

so a lot of this is uh trying to trigger

emotions in you

and trying to make you feel like you

don't know the truth if you read

other sources other than them so if you

choose to read these you know be aware

of your emotions

be aware of the facts that you know to

be true and be pretty skeptical

we'll look at an example right now

so this is actually an opinion piece you

know we'll start by saying that

but it is a really tiny note about it

being an opinion piece

um and it was right there on the main

page

so this is called while fauci tells us

to hunker down sweden's no lockdown

coronavirus results speak for themselves

sweden took the right path in response

to the virus

again an opinion piece they are entitled

to

presenting their perspective but if we

look at some of the content

it says that sweden has been ridiculed

as the country taking the dangerous and

novel approach by shielding the

vulnerable and letting the rest achieve

herd immunity quickly

but if you know more about the facts of

the case

they have not reached herd immunity now

as of september 2020

and they did not reach it quickly so

that is

non-factual information it also says

despite having no lockdown however

sweden

didn't lock down totally but they did

have strict regulations

um and this again is something that's

not reported in

an entirely nuanced way that it actually

occurred

in the real world um and if we ask

ourselves some of those previous

questions before

you know what is the goal of this media

who is it intended for

you can clearly see what the agenda is

um

in trying to favor the swedish response

versus the american response

so what would this reporting look like

in a more straight objective

news source so this is from bloomberg

swedish coveted infections drop after

steady distancing patterns

so again they are referencing that

infections did drop

so they are acknowledging that but they

are saying that

this is it was thanks to citizens

voluntarily adhering to social

distancing guidelines

so cultural differences in terms of

voluntarily adhering to social

distancing was not mentioned in the

previous articles

or the previous article they also talk

about the fact that sweden's less

stringent approach

was done because they felt like if they

had to have these

in place for a long time they should be

less strict and that's way more nuanced

than saying no restrictions

so they had no lockdown but yes there

were

strict social distancing restrictions in

place

and i believe the article does go into

some examples of those as well

it also says that ironically places like

denmark and norway

have already rolled back their severe

lockdowns and now

places like norway and finland have less

restrictions

than sweden so sweden is more locked

down than others now

and that was not addressed in the

previous article

so you can see how this one is a much

more fair and balanced view and whereas

the previous one

cherry picked a lot of information to

fit what they were trying to say

and to fit their argument so again

another

sensationalist news example which we can

use to kind of show the difference

in um in coverage and how important

a variety of coverage is so if i only

got my news from alternet

uh i would think that i was only getting

one personal story this woman's opinion

on the cause of the fires that it had to

do

with just western capitalism

but that doesn't give me much factual

information or context

but when i look at the new york times

coverage we see a scientific perspective

a political view

updates from the ground and you see how

much there is to this complex issue

again does this say that new york times

is the

perfect always straight unbiased news

source

absolutely not but it shows that they

have

a variety of coverage and a variety of

perspectives

as opposed to just sensationalist news

stories

and they're grounded in fact uh even if

again there can be a little bit of bias

at times

things are nuanced and there's context

that's the main point

or it's always valuable to go directly

to a local source here is the oregonian

um this is only part of their local

coverage and you would actually be

getting perspective from people living

through this

news of the wildfires so whatever story

that you're reading about

you know who what are the local news

sources that might have an on

the ground perspective so those are some

examples of

actually applying those questions to

news but now let's talk a little bit

about when media goes wrong

you know how have we kind of become so

polarized and while that's a huge

complex answer

there are some specific problems to be

aware of so propaganda is the spreading

of ideas information or rumor for the

purpose of helping or

injuring an institution a cause or a

person

so some examples would be like russia

today which is a government-run media

that means that anything critical of the

government will not be shown and they

will purposely run information that's

intended to support the state and harm

its critics

and we can see how that could be

manipulative and potentially dangerous

um while it's really different some

consider cnn and fox propaganda for each

political party

because they are so clearly biased

another example

of information being weaponized as

propaganda

um rather than like just a media outlet

is information being used in the mask

wearing debate

uh you know mask wearing has been used

in a variety of ways to be equated with

liberalism a loss of rights being

anti-american

and um being anti-mask wearing is being

seen

um as supporting the president so the

memes the articles the videos

that are spreading these ideas are

intended to sway people in favor of

their side you know making it

almost a form of propaganda

another dangerous use of information are

conspiracy theories

they're a form of propaganda at times

and and they

involve incredibly detailed false

stories so one example

was the info info wars story that the

sandy hook shooting was a made up event

to push an anti-gun agenda

as you can imagine this was incredibly

hurtful to the families

and it was an emotional trigger for many

people um but the motives were to spread

distrust in the government and the

mainstream media

and authority um who he believed was

creating

these mass shootings to push gun control

and the families have been subjected to

harassment to death threats from

followers so there were real

consequences

to these theories and um those are

common conspiracy theory motives in

terms of

you know spreading distrust about um the

government and authority and what's true

and not

true another more recent phenomenon is q

anon itself as well as the more specific

wayfare conspiracy

uh so q anon is a lot more complex to

define here but as a mu

a movement they're trying to recruit

people who care about an issue like

child trafficking

but in the end they're not really

helping anyone

last month they suggested that the

company wayfair was trafficking children

through expensive items on their website

however the hoax has caused issues for

human trafficking organizations who have

said please stop

calling us because they don't have

legitimate leads and they're clogging up

the lines from people who have real tips

so big key words to look for with

conspiracy theories are we know the

truth or

you're being lied to and you know we

could really do a whole session on

conspiracy theories

but we're just touching on them in the

harm that they do to real people

and the media landscape when everything

is nefarious

and they're the only ones who know the

truth

and then we have bots so you know when

used nefariously they can

be used like they have been on social

media

to create uh new posts post false

information

and generate confusion because they're

really just simple computer programs

that automate tasks and make them easier

bot farms have been accused as being

part of russian interference in the 2016

election

by posting fake information about the

political race and

sowing um distrust between people

so why are we spending so much time on

these negative influences

because they create chaos in the media

landscape which turn people away from

real news

and it's important to be aware of that

and recognize it when you see it

oh and memes so we're just going to say

it

memes are a terrible way to consume

information especially news

and don't get me wrong memes are amazing

they're one of the funnest ways to

communicate

but they're problematic when they're

masqueraded as informational

why is that because they rarely have

citations

they try to condense a nuanced topic

into a single image

they usually only show one side of a

situation and they're

biased in motivation usually and they

can be made by anyone

so here's an example

why is this inaccurate about mount

rushmore

because here's a quote from the fact

check on snopes.com

so even though this meme highlighted key

elements of mount rushmore's darkest

history some of its facts were incorrect

or pulled out of necessary context

so the problem is that when history is

taken out of context and all the facts

are not shared

they become easy to manipulate and

that's because they're so easy to share

it can be spread too quickly to contain

it's actually very easy to spread

misinformation and takes a lot more time

to correct it

and then we have satire so satire is

really just a form of humor that uses

irony sarcasm parody

and it pokes fun at kind of the

absurdity of the world

the onion is one of the best known

outlets for

a satire but you have to keep in mind

that if you see them shared around that

it is satire

and it's meant to be funny not real and

the problem is sometimes people don't

realize that

so at one point um sean hannity

and a congressman actually used

uh their the onion articles

both on television and in a committee

without realizing

that they were fake uh so sometimes

people can

uh use this information in a way that's

not accurate and create a lot of

problems

so at this point you might be saying

well then what the heck am i supposed to

believe

and this has also become a problem with

our media landscape so many people

believe nothing

and that is really ripe for conspiracies

and for people to think that everyone is

manipulating them

um you know the skeptic may just say

well it's all fake so i'm not going to

believe anything

um or there's just people who believe

everything that conforms to their

worldview

which is also dangerous so you want to

be somewhere in the middle

just like junk food a bit is okay but

too much is bad for the body

so for an example you can google a video

that shows how one incorrect fact from a

microsoft report about human beings

having an eight second attention span

was so widely believed

because multiple news sources reported

it over and over again without fact

checking

so they those people believed everything

um but meanwhile people are so skeptical

of news

that they think information on kovid 19

is a hoax

so both ends of the spectrum can be

problematic um if the people in the 8

second attention span

video had just taken a few seconds to

fact check

they would have seen that that wasn't

calculated accurately

and if the people who believe covet is a

hoax are a little more open to factual

information we could all meet in the

middle

so let's review the questions for

navigating the media

uh we've already looked through those

and then there's also some red flags

for news as well so if you see sources

with these red flags you want to move on

and find something else so you're

looking for emotional language

only one side of a situation presented

and a lack of references or citations

or i might also say references that link

within that same source so they're

providing themselves as their source

so here are some trusted news sources

and we say generally

because as we've already expressed all

media leaves out some part of the story

all media has a purpose and but that's

not necessarily purposeful manipulation

they just have a particular purpose and

it has to

fit your information need so when there

is so much information to present

you know journalists are writing to

catch stories while having their own

human

biases and it's really up to you as the

reader to critically think

look for broader context and to ask

information so

do you feel more confident now in

navigating the news

notice the appropriate use of a meme no

misinformation in sight

and i'll leave you with this quote from

the news

literacy project we need discourse not

debate

debates have winners and losers while

discourse is a conversation