scholarly journals Humanitarian Communication in a Post-Truth World

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mel Bunce
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Humanitarian Emergencies ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Fact Checking

When people look online for information about humanitarian crises, they increasingly encounter media content that blurs the line between reality and fiction. This includes everything from rumour and exaggeration to partisan journalism and completely invented stories designed to look like real news (so-called ‘fake news’). This article shows that disinformation is causing real and serious harm to those affected by humanitarian emergencies; it can undermine the ability of humanitarian workers to provide relief; and it has exacerbated conflict and violence. Disinformation is also making it harder for journalists to report on the humanitarian sector, and hold the powerful to account, because it undermines audience trust in information more generally. The article concludes by considering interventions that could address the challenges of disinformation. It argues for more support of quality journalism about humanitarian crises, as well as media literacy training. Finally, it is crucial that aid agencies and news outlets commit to accuracy and fact checking in their reporting and campaigning.

Tackling online disinformation through media literacy in Spain: The project ‘Que no te la cuelen’

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nereida Carrillo ◽  
Marta Montagut
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Public Deliberation ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Extra Effort ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Fact Checking ◽  
Data Location ◽  
Detection Strategies

Media literacy of schoolchildren is a key political goal worldwide: institutions and citizens consider media literacy training to be essential – among other aspects – to combat falsehoods and generate healthy public opinion in democratic contexts. In Spain, various media literacy projects address this phenomenon one of which is ‘Que no te la cuelen’ (‘Don’t be fooled’, QNTLC). The project, which has been developed by the authors of this viewpoint, is implemented through theoretical–practical workshops aimed at public and private secondary pupils (academic years 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21), based around training in fake news detection strategies and online fact-checking tools for students and teachers. This viewpoint describes and reflects on this initiative, conducted in 36 training sessions with schoolchildren aged 14–16 years attending schools in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. The workshops are based on van Dijk’s media literacy model, with a special focus on the ‘informational skills’ dimension. The amount of information available through all kinds of online platforms implies an extra effort in selecting, evaluating and sharing information, and the workshop focuses on this process through seven steps: suspect, read/listen/watch carefully, check the source, look for other reliable sources, check the data/location, be self-conscious of your bias and decide whether to share the information or not. The QNTLC sessions teach and train these skills combining gamification strategies – online quiz, verification challenges, ‘infoxication’ dynamics in the class – as well as through a public deliberation among students. Participants’ engagement and stakeholders’ interest in the programme suggest that this kind of training is important or, at least, attract the attention of these collectives in the Spanish context.

scholarly journals Intentional or inadvertent fake news sharing? Fact-checking warnings and users’ interaction with social media content

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Ardèvol-Abreu ◽  
Patricia Delponti ◽  
Carmen Rodríguez-Wangüemert
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Fact Checking ◽  
False News ◽  
News Sharing

The main social media platforms have been implementing strategies to minimize fake news dissemination. These include identifying, labeling, and penalizing –via news feed ranking algorithms– fake publications. Part of the rationale behind this approach is that the negative effects of fake content arise only when social media users are deceived. Once debunked, fake posts and news stories should therefore become harmless. Unfortunately, the literature shows that the effects of misinformation are more complex and tend to persist and even backfire after correction. Furthermore, we still do not know much about how social media users evaluate content that has been fact-checked and flagged as false. More worryingly, previous findings suggest that some people may intentionally share made up news on social media, although their motivations are not fully explained. To better understand users’ interaction with social media content identified or recognized as false, we analyze qualitative and quantitative data from five focus groups and a sub-national online survey (N = 350). Findings suggest that the label of ‘false news’ plays a role –although not necessarily central– in social media users’ evaluation of the content and their decision (not) to share it. Some participants showed distrust in fact-checkers and lack of knowledge about the fact-checking process. We also found that fake news sharing is a two-dimensional phenomenon that includes intentional and unintentional behaviors. We discuss some of the reasons why some of social media users may choose to distribute fake news content intentionally.

What Does It Take to Fight Fake News? Testing the Influence of Political Knowledge, Media Literacy, and General Trust on Motivated Reasoning

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-167
Author(s):  
Aleš Kudrnáč
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Motivated Reasoning ◽  
Political Knowledge ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Fake News ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
General Trust ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Nationally Representative

This study explores youth accuracy judgments of disinformative and nondisinformative claims. Analyses are based on a nationally representative youth (16–20 years old) survey experiment conducted in the Czech Republic in 2017. When they were exposed to posts regarding refugee crisis, young people were asked to judge the accuracy of the statements accompanying the posts. Motivated reasoning of youth depended primarily on the alignment with the posts and the ideology of participants. Results of this research suggest that motivated reasoning works differently for liberals and conservatives. Perceived amount of media literacy training does not seem to affect directional motivation. General trust works as moderator of motivated reasoning and, in combination with ideology, appears to be important for understanding directional motivation when exposed to disinformation.

Fake News Debunking and Counteractions – the Bulgarian Experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezhda Miteva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Main Tool ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Project Leader ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
Alternative Facts ◽  
Fact Checking

Careful and thorough fact-checking is a main tool for counteracting fake news, alternative facts and the context created in the Post-Truth Era. This paper examines the contemporary fact-checking mechanisms in the Bulgarian media environment. The methods applied are data analysis, interviews with proffessional journalists, a survey among media content users, and a case study. The research ws cnducted within the framework of the DCOST Project 01/10 – 04.07.2017 (project leader Prof. Lilia Raycheva), supported by the National Scientific Fund of Bulgaria, and developed within the Europpean Commission‘s Action IS 1404: Evolution of Reading in the Age of Digitization (E-READ).

Media Literacy and Fake News

2019 ◽  
pp. 163-176
Author(s):  
Tracy Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking

“Fake news” isn't a new phenomenon, but it began trending in 2016 during a contentious presidential election. Particularly with the rise of social media, people saw the dangerous impact this movement had, and continues to have on society. People easily bought into false stories, shared them online and even acted on them. Because of this, the importance of fact checking and analysis has surged, and the responsibility falls on both news consumers and practitioners. Additionally, the term fake news has been used repeatedly to inaccurately label news that people do not agree with or do not like. By learning to identify the differences between truth, satire, falsity, dislike, error, and learning why fake news has gone viral, individuals can enhance their media literacy skills. This will in turn improve the media landscape because news consumers will be required to become proficient in knowing how to produce, interpret, and share news in an ethical and honest way.

scholarly journals Pоlitical Media Texts and The Problem of Confidence: Modern Challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
T. L. Kaminskaya
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Expert Survey ◽  
Media Audiences ◽  
Media Texts

The article deals with the problem of trust in society laying on the axis “society-power-media” . The author provided an overview of approaches to the concept of trust in different paradigms of humanitarian studies of the last quarter of the century . As our analysis has shown, trust in modern society is challenged by a new challenge — the spread of fake news . Summarising the data of discourse analysis, content analysis of media, as well as of expert survey of journalists of social and political media, the author highlighted the ways of society’s struggle with fake news . Among these methods are technological solutions for news recognition and removal, legislative restrictions on media content, improvement of journalistic ethical and professional standards and increasing media literacy of target media audiences .

Media Literacy and Fake News

2018 ◽  
pp. 255-268
Author(s):  
Tracy Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Knowing How ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking

“Fake news” isn't a new phenomenon, but it began trending in 2016 during a contentious presidential election. Particularly with the rise of social media, people saw the dangerous impact this movement had, and continues to have on society. People easily bought into false stories, shared them online and even acted on them. Because of this, the importance of fact checking and analysis has surged, and the responsibility falls on both news consumers and practitioners. Additionally, the term fake news has been used repeatedly to inaccurately label news that people do not agree with or do not like. By learning to identify the differences between truth, satire, falsity, dislike, error, and learning why fake news has gone viral, individuals can enhance their media literacy skills. This will in turn improve the media landscape because news consumers will be required to become proficient in knowing how to produce, interpret, and share news in an ethical and honest way.

scholarly journals Fake News in the Ukrainian Media Space: Technologies of Experimental Projects

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Alla Mykolaienko
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Fake News ◽  
False Information ◽  
Research Organizations ◽  
System Method ◽  
Media Space ◽  
The Media ◽  
Fact Checking ◽  
The Impact

The article considers dissemination of experimental fake messages by research organizations through analysis of media and audience feedback. The objective of the research is to study the main techniques of fake creation on the basis of experimental fakes traced in the Ukrainian information space. The methods used in the article are the following: analysis – to study the state of media landscape as to availability of fake news; the system method – to establish the ways of fake dissemination; the systematization method – to determine fakes’ features and characteristics. The preconditions, reasons and specifics of creation and intentional dissemination of false information in the society are studied in the article. As a result of the research, the role of pilot projects related to fake dissemination as part of popularization of ideas of media literacy and media education has been identified. It is analyzed the impact of experimental fake news on the media and the general public, in particular on dissemination of messages by the users in social networks. Simultaneously the thesis that regional journalists automatically rewrite and repost the Ukrainian mass media is refuted, as we have traced their professional response to dissemination of false information. The verification of facts (fact checking) is mandatory for journalists and necessary for every consumer of information, as making the media responsible for the facts is not an indication of media literacy.

scholarly journals PROGRAM LITERASI MEDIA DI DESA CIBEUREUM KECAMATAN KERTASARI KABUPATEN BANDUNG

Al-Khidmat ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-57
Author(s):  
M. Taufiq Rahman ◽  
Iman Supratman ◽  
Bukhori Bukhori
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Simulation Methods ◽  
Training Activity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
Case Simulation ◽  
Discussion Question ◽  
Insight Into

The program was carried out to provide media literacy training for the community of Cibeureum Village, Kertasari District, Bandung Regency. There are several objectives to be achieved in this activity, among others: it is expected to be able to add insight into the public about mass media and social media, improve the knowledge and capabilities of media literacy in rural communities. Media literacy training in Cibeureum Village, Kertasari District, Bandung Regency uses training, lecture, discussion, question and answer and case simulation methods. The conclusions obtained from this media literacy training activity are that people can prioritize maturity in choosing which media to consume, content that is responsible even to the point of being able to criticize media content more intelligently.

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