Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).
How to Debunk:
1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.
2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.
3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.
4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.
5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.
"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.
"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."
"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."
Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge
Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021
Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.
In the spirit of how to debunk misinformation and disinformation, I encourage you to examine The Financial Services Forum, The American Accountability Foundation, The Epoch Times, Fox News, and One America Network(OAN), among others, using the media literacy skills taught by the News Literacy Project from #1 above under "How to Debunk." Click on the News Literacy Project link to start your work.
I was unplugged on a backpacking trip during the first week of the Olympics. But, I made up for lost time over the last full week of the event.
It was a welcome blast of positivity and reality. In an imperfect world, our imperfections will always be on display. The American Republican Party, Right Wing, Fascist, Authoritarian , elitist billionaire movement going on right now has been working overtime to magnify those imperfections and convince people that they live in a hell hole instead of on a big, beautiful planet with big, beautiful people.
Seeing athletes compete at extraordinarily high levels and to hear the stories of how they got to this place was inspiring, refreshing and honest. I filled myself with these competitions and stories to build up a reserve of positivity to withstand the steady stream of America-bashing, fear-mongering and divisive rhetoric that we will no doubt continue to be exposed to through the coming elections.
It was the competitors that made me feel better, but it was also the outside-the-box creativity on display in every aspect of the televised Olympic coverage. The ceremonies, the events, the happiness and sadness, the successes and the failures were presented through a lens that saw the lives of these athletes for what it was. It was always imperfect and those imperfections were treated in such a way that the compassion, the love and the pure humanity showed brightly through the screen.
When all was said and done, the pomp and circumstance completed, the medals awarded and the athletes heading home, I am left with an intense sensation of hope that humanity will be ok. Those forces trying to create a world tht doesn’t exist for their own selfish desires and beliefs are the ones who should be afraid. Selfish and greedy powers will NOT get their way and regular, average good old humanity will rule the day.