LINCOLN, Neb. -- As Nebraskans look for the latest factual information in the COVID-19 crisis, a new study shows that it's getting harder to tell what's real -- and what isn't -- on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Researchers at the University of Washington used a Google Chrome extension to add fake news posts to trusted friends' news feeds.
Report co-author Christine Geeng says a surprising number of people in the study couldn't spot the lies.
"While they said they're very good at being skeptical and spotting fake news, we found out some of them did end up falling for some of the misinformation, which really goes to show that anyone can be susceptible for misinformation, because it's just so hard to spot," she states.
Geeng says one way to avoid getting duped is to investigate the source, because many posts from "trusted" second cousins or old high school friends don't originate from credible news sources.
For the latest on COVID-19 developments, Nebraskans can also turn to the state's Department of Health and Human Services online at dhhs.ne.gov.
Previous research on how people interact with misinformation asked respondents to review posts from a researcher-created account, not from friends and others they're already following.
Geeng says she's hopeful that these new findings will help news consumers and programmers alike in an age when information comes at super-fast speeds, in short and digestible formats.
"I'm hoping that by doing this research, we can figure out ways to potentially better design social media sites, or at least design things that can help people make better decisions about whether the stuff they're reading is true or not," she states.
Geeng adds that people in the study did notice when a post didn't match their friends' usual content -- and while some became skeptical and investigated further, many just ignored it.
Geeng says in future research, she's interested in exploring whether social media users remember something about content they scroll past, but forget that it was from an ad they skipped over.
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The days of thumbing through a community newspaper are retreating into history.
A Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism 2024 report showed fewer than 5,600 newspapers are still in business and 80% are weekly publications. The data also found the Illinois counties of Hamilton, Wayne, Franklin, Jefferson, Perry and Saline have only one newspaper each. Four others have none.
Fewer publications mean more news deserts, which are communities without regular access to information.
Zachery Metzger, director of the State of Local News project at Northwestern, said news access nationwide will vary.
"I think that the crisis within newspapers, traditional print newspapers, is going to continue to deepen," Metzger observed. "A lot of those are going to continue to disappear. I think that the crisis of local news and the loss of news is not limited to rural areas."
Metzger pointed out few news options remain beyond nationally syndicated TV news from understaffed, overworked stations with limited coverage. He noted social media chat groups like Facebook are platforms which "amplify misinformation and disinformation." According to the study, people living in news deserts tend to be older and less educated, and 16% live below the poverty line.
Several locally-based independent news ventures have started in the last few years to broaden access to underserved communities. Metzger reported since 2019, 95% of philanthropic donations to the outlets have focused on heavily concentrated and centralized urban metro areas.
"That doesn't mean that they're not producing a really valuable resource for people within those areas but those areas have the most news already," Metzger stressed. "While these new startups are providing really great services, they're often not addressing the needs of people in smaller, more rural or less affluent communities."
Metzger believes the existence of for-profit and nonprofit news outlets "is always going to be a good thing." He added there are still some smaller papers doing good work and neighborhoods are engaged in keeping their local news sources active. He thinks local newsrooms need state legislative action, greater philanthropic diversity and donations to survive.
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Wisconsin has lost almost one in five of its newspapers in the past year. The state of newspapers has been dismal for years, and the 2024 figures are grim.
This year alone, 130 newspapers nationwide shut down, according to a report by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. But amid an increasing climate of misinformation and media distrust among some Americans, the news outlets they say they trust the most are community newspapers.
In this polarized climate, Professor Robert Asen at the University of Wisconsin at Madison believes where people choose to get their news matters.
"It seems less and less that we're willing - or able - to see things that we may share in common," Asen said, "and that's exacerbated by a media ecosystem where we're not even getting the same information - where we're not even sharing the same basic set of facts."
In the survey, 74% of Americans believe not having a local newspaper would seriously impact their community. Yet more than half of all counties in the United States have just one local news outlet - or none at all. Bayfield, Wisconsin's northernmost county, has no news outlets, while 22 other counties have only one.
Asen said the rise in social media as an information source, and options such as podcasts and talk radio shows, have greatly affected how people choose to get their news - which also plays a role in how accurate it is. A recent review of radio talk shows in Wisconsin found those with the largest audiences and the most advertising are led by conservative hosts who aired the most misinformation.
"When you look at public discourse and you look at public figures, and you see examples of a disregard for truth - or disregard for verifying stories, or disregard for fair and accurate representations - I think that those practices encourage more of the same practice," Asen observed.
In the Wisconsin Legislature, Democrats proposed a package of bills earlier this year aimed at strengthening local journalism and its workforce, including one that would offer a tax credit for local newspaper subscriptions. But it didn't pass in the state Senate.
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President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Brendan Carr to lead the Federal Communications Commission is raising red flags among groups that advocate for a free press and consumer protections.
Carr is currently the top Republican on the Federal Communications Commission.
Craig Aaron, president of Free Press, a national public interest group that acts as an FCC watchdog, said Carr has already refused to condemn Mr. Trump's calls to pull the broadcast license of the ABC television network.
"That should be an easy question for an FCC chair to answer: Are you going to go after ABC's broadcast license because they fact-checked the debate? The correct answer is, 'No, that's ridiculous,'" Aaron stressed. "And what Brendan Carr essentially said testifying in Congress was, 'Well, I'd have to look at it.' That's not the answer you want."
The FCC regulates radio, television and cable communications, so its decisions have big implications for Californians, and all Americans. Carr also wrote the Project 2025 chapter on media issues, saying the FCC should rein in big tech, promote national security and emphasize prosperity and FCC accountability. Under President Joe Biden, the FCC has strengthened consumer protections and approved net neutrality rules.
Aaron worries protections will go out the window and fears the FCC will change the rules to allow mega-mergers of media companies.
"If you just allow the cronies of the administration to buy up these local TV stations, networks, infrastructure, then that's another way you can take control," Aaron contended. "And Brendan Carr's never met a media merger he didn't like."
The position of FCC chair does not require Senate confirmation, so Carr is likely to be appointed. However, any future vacancies would require Senate approval.
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