SANTA FE -- With the presidential election approaching, there's renewed concern that consumers again will fall prey to "fake news" on social media. But one expert on the topic says there's a way to arm yourself against the onslaught.

Nolan Higdon is a professor of history and communication at California State University and a contributor to Project Censored. He said the role of news media in a free society is to investigate, inform and provide a crucial check on political power.

He noted the coronavirus pandemic has been the subject of a great deal of "fake news" that often exploits people's fears and moral outrage.

"Generally, it preys on real anxieties - that's really the most successful fake news," Higdon said. "And who doesn't have anxiety during a pandemic, especially one where you see unemployment hitting 30%."

Higdon said he believes President Donald Trump's repeated claims of "fake news" and framing of the media as the "enemy of the people" have made a bad scenario worse.

Some communication watchdogs have called on tech giants to crack down on fake news and institute a code to address misinformation. Higdon said he believes, however, that consumers need to be more savvy.

"We really need to focus on giving the individual media literacy skills - that is, how can they sift through information and figure out what's true and what's false instead of the approach where I think we're going, which is we're creating lists and we're having corporations and governments determine what is true and what's false," he said.

Higdon said he also worries that media giants such as Facebook, Google and other large corporations have significantly increased their presence in public schools in the past 20 years as a way to get their content into the classroom.

"If we can give a bunch of slick textbooks and MacBooks and things like that to a school, it will look like charity to the public," he said. "But really, it's getting access to all the data for all the children who are enrolled in public schooling in a particular state, nation or region."

According to new research published in the journal Psychological Science, consumers are not incapable of distinguishing between what is true and what is false, but often share misinformation because accuracy is not a benchmark used when deciding what to share.




get more stories like this via email

CORRECTION: This story was updated to correct the list of other U.S. members. July 25, 3021, 12:35 MST

BOULDER, Colo. - As people struggle to find trusted news and information, Colorado News Connection and its network Public News Service are implementing the 8 Trust Indicators, credentials to help the public more easily evaluate their content.

Created by the Trust Project, these indicators are globally accepted standards to help, and hold newsrooms, accountable.

Sally Lehrman, founder and chief executive of the Trust Project, said the goal is to amplify responsible and transparent journalism and slow the spread of false, misleading information.

"People are concerned about that," said Lehrman. "People are feeling anxious that they're not really sure how to differentiate between something that is truly designed to inform them and is impartial and truthful, and something that is designed more to deceive or incite, or really just propaganda."

Earning the Trust Mark required a rigorous six-month process.

The eight indicators delineate best practices, standards and policies, revealing more about journalists' personally and how stories and sources are chosen and fact-checked - distinguishing between news, opinion and other information types, and how the public can more easily question, challenge and assist journalists in delivering the information needs of their communities.

Lehrman added that evaluating audio-only sources and podcasts can be a little different than online or print. Listeners may have to take note of an organization and look it up later.

But she said there are some indicators that people can hear. For example, does the story bring in a variety of voices and perspectives?.

"We can look at these eight trust indicators and learn who is behind the site," said Lehrman. "Who is the journalist? How is it funded? Is it identified as news? Or is it more obviously opinion?"

The Public News Service's 37 state newsrooms join over 200 other news outlets, from the Denver Post to PBS Frontline, the Washington Post and the BBC.

Lehrman noted, the Trust Project's network is global because so many news outlets recognize their own responsibility for being transparent and honest.

"The Trust Project was just an idea," said Lehrman. "But what has happened is news organizations around the world are jumping on board and really embracing this idea."




get more stories like this via email

CHICAGO - A hedge fund's purchase of the Chicago Tribune is in the works - but until it becomes official, members of the Chicago Tribune Guild are hoping local, civic-minded owners will step in.

Even before announcing the agreement, Alden Global Capital had become the largest shareholder of Tribune Publishing, and already had begun to reduce staff, offering buyouts to reporters who worked at the newspaper for at least eight years.

Charlie Johnson, vice president of the Tribune Guild, said he thinks the hedge fund would prioritize profit over quality of journalism.

"I think people are concerned that with Alden fully in command, that headcount of the newsroom will continue to decline, either through cuts or attrition," he said, "and Chicago won't have one of its truly great news organizations for all that much longer."

Tribune Publishing isn't the first newspaper company Alden Global has sought to take over. Last year, the Denver City Council called out the hedge fund for gutting numerous newspapers, including the Denver Post, citing its "devastating impact on local journalism across the nation."

Johnson said the deal hasn't yet passed anti-trust muster. He added that he hopes the newspaper can follow a similar path as the Baltimore Sun, which also is owned by Tribune Publishing and being acquired - not by Alden Global, but by a nonprofit started by local Maryland philanthropist and businessman Stewart Bainum, Jr.

"They're local Baltimore backers, people with wealth who think that the Sun is really an important part of civic life there," he said, "and they're gonna buy it and set it up so that it can operate there in the future and serve the citizens of Baltimore."

He said Chicago is stronger with local journalists telling the stories of its residents, watchdogging its politicians and justice system, and checking on where its tax dollars are going. He said he wants any potential owner to share that commitment.


get more stories like this via email

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri lawmaker introduced a bill which would add media literacy training to the public-school curriculum.

House Bill 74 would create a committee of lawmakers, educators, media experts and a children's mental-health expert to work with the Missouri Department of Education on the best ways to teach digital skills in classrooms.

Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis, the bill's sponsor, said it's key for kids to learn to how to verify information, both when consuming media and producing it, and to understand how media influences thoughts, feelings and behavior.

"They've received more information for more different sources than their parents have in their entire lifetime," Murphy contended. "You know, they get it from TV, they get it from cable news, they get it from social media, they get it from games, and it's just coming at 'em at breakneck speed."

Murphy noted every time a person posts on social media, someone else is likely to believe what they write. He wants educators to help students better learn how to use social media ethically and responsibly.

A component of media literacy is addressing cyberbullying.

More than one in four students experienced cyberbullying over the last 10 years, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center, and surveys from the pandemic have shown the number increases when kids are learning from home.

Murphy added that's another reason he's pursuing the bill.

"Kids today are bullied on social media more than they are in the schoolyard," Murphy explained. "And, you know, it's a mental-health problem in our schools."

If the bill passes, Missouri would follow in the footsteps of more than a dozen states, including Florida, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas and Washington, which have passed state laws bringing some form of media-literacy learning to schools.


get more stories like this via email