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.
Update: McQuade, Barbara, "Attack From Within," 2024. New York Times best seller.
I’ve been slow to write over the last few weeks. It’s been kind of busy living life. Writing about it has taken a back seat.
So much information coming from so many sources. Some of the sources of highly questionable veracity. One of the sources that I use on a daily basis is my paper (real paper) copy of The San Jose Mercury News.
Just for fun I thought I’d start from the front page and make a list of the headlines from front to back.
P.1
Land Back in Tribal Hands
Record set by VTA1 on Sunday
Campaign donations pour in for Mahan2
ICE Chief defends actions of officers
P.2
Spanish skater says it 'amazing to bring Minions to Olympics
Gray wolf spotted for first time in 100 years3
Filoplume is nature's super feather
P.3
GOP suit for census is under scrutiny4
Lutnick5 acknowledges meetings with Epstein
Epstein files reveal efforts to build ties with officials in Russia
Congressional leaders say ICE deal is still possible
Waltz6: Immigration crackdown in Minnesota could end within days
P.4
10 Dead in separate Canada shootings
Israeli drone strike kills pair in Gaza as death toll mounts despite ceasefire
Russia can't attack NATO this year but plans to boost it forces, officials7 say
Rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument removed
EPA8 to nix scientific funding affecting U.S. climate policy
P.5
Completion of earlier headline stories
P.6 Opinion Page
Will state's9 lawmakers break promise to sex abuse victims?/John Manly
Why sociology deserves to be in classrooms/Wendy Nelson Espeland
Letters to the editor
Preventable crashes are not mere 'accidents'
Epstein, Trump share an unsavory trait
Instead of wealth tax bring back estate tax
P.7 Opinion Page
Asia's rapid rise shows power of education/Nicholas D. Kristof
______________________________
1 local transportation agency, Valley Transportation Authority
2 local mayor running for governor of California
3 in Los Angeles County
4 Conservative American political party's attempt to prohibit the counting of people in the U.S. illegally during the 2030 Census.
5 Commerce Secretary Howard
6 Minnesota governor Tim
7 Kaupo Rosin, head of Estonia's foreign intelligence service
8 Environmental Protection Agency
9 State of California
I trust the staff of the San Jose Mercury News to truthfully and factually report on stories that they feel are the most important on any given day. Of the 16 news stories from Pp. 1-4, how many do you think are related to policies of the current United States Government? I count 11 for me. Can you guess which ones? Did you find more? Did you find fewer?
On the Bright Side
- La Migra didn’t show up at the Super Bowl.