21
Jul
2017
Jul
2017
unfiltered news
categories: Digital literacy
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more on fake news in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=fake+news
Searching for "fake news"
22
Aug
2021
Aug
2021
Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society
categories: critical news literacy, Library and information science
Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society
https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/doi/10.1108/9781800439061
Alexander, B. (2021), “Macroauthorities and Microliteracies: The New Terrain of Information Politics”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 29-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211003
Portelli, J.P. and Oladi, S. (2021), “Post-truth Society: Toward a Dialogical Understanding of Truth”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 11-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211002
Patrinos, H.A. (2021), “The Learning Challenge in the Twenty-first Century * “, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211004
Pauncefort, E. (2021), “Critical Literacy Is at the Heart of the Answer”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 73-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211006
Balser, W.F., Diasio, S. and Kendal, T. (2021), “Societal Reorientation via Programmable Trust: A Case for Piloting New Models of Open Governance in Education”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 95-110. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211007
This essay proposes the need to infuse open innovation (OI) and open source (OS) principles and technologies into schools as a means of tackling many of the most pervasive challenges in education, and by extension, society at large. It is argued that the principles of OI and OS, which are rooted in innovation management and software development, respectively, may be applied to the way we conceive of and approach organizational governance structures related to schooling, particularly in regard to harnessing innovation, updating management processes, and codifying new systems of trust. Whereas OI offers a novel approach to knowledge flow and the open exchange of ideas, communities rooted in OS principles breed tangible and generative effects through peer network democratization. These emergent, digitally defined networks have been proven to maximize innovation potential, expand collaboration, and enable the propagation of highly durable systems of trust and transparency, all catalytic and essential if we are to realize a future learning economy which favors equity, distributed systems, and common goods over profit, centralized decision-making, and proprietorship. It is within this framing that we articulate the core tenets of both OI and OS translationally as a means of stimulating thinking about how core principles of “openness” and the distributed technologies they enable may help to build common ground in an ever-evolving education and information ecosystem.
Sant, T. (2021), “How Can Wikipedia Save Us all?: Assuming Good Faith from all Points of View in the Age of Fake News and Post-truth”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 133-143. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211010
Fusari, M. (2021), “The Kony 2012 Campaign: A Milestone of Visual Storytelling for Social Engagement”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 155-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211012
Mallia, Ġorġ. (2021), “Post-truth Visuals, Untruth Visuals”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 175-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211013
Basu, D. and Gabbay, M. (2021), “Karl Marx and the Blockchain”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 225-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211016
Blockchain is often presented as a technological development; however, clearly it is not only that: the ‘Blockchain buzz’ exists in the context of current social and political developments. In this essay, we analyse blockchain technology and its social and political context from a perspective of Marxist economic theory. Since arguably the last great inflection point in society and technology was analysed by Marx in terms of labour and capital and since we seem to be experiencing a shift in the balance between these forces today, it makes sense to revisit the Marxist ideas and apply them to the current situation, to see how well they still apply and if necessary to update them for current events.
Ellul, J., Grech, A. and Pace, G.J. (2021), “Two Sides to Every Story. The Truth, Post-truth, and the Blockchain Truth”, Grech, A. (Ed.) Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 243-253. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-906-120211017
One of the rallying cries of the blockchain community is that of immutability: the irreversibility of the past, the absolute truth which, once stored, remains there forever. The technology was designed with this foundational pillar in mind to ensure that changes to history are inordinately expensive and practically impossible to execute – and increasingly so, the further in the past the event which one intends to manipulate lies. This platonic view of absolute truth is in stark contrast with a world of manipulated truth, and it is not surprising that it is being revisited as a means of combating fake news. We argue that claims to the absolute nature of the blockchain are at best exaggerated, at worst misrepresented or even ‘fake news’. We discuss implicit centralised points of trust in blockchains, whether at a technological, social or governance level, and identify how these can be a threat to the ‘immutable truth’ stored within the blockchain itself. A global pandemic has unleashed an unprecedented wave of contradictory positions on anything from vaccines and face masks to ‘the new normal’. It is only natural that the pursuit of blockchain as a placebo for society’s ‘truth’ problems continues.
04
Aug
2021
Aug
2021
What is AI
What is AI? Here’s everything you need to know about artificial intelligence
An executive guide to artificial intelligence, from machine learning and general AI to neural networks.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
It depends who you ask.
What are the uses for AI?
What are the different types of AI?
Narrow AI is what we see all around us in computers today — intelligent systems that have been taught or have learned how to carry out specific tasks without being explicitly programmed how to do so.
General AI
General AI is very different and is the type of adaptable intellect found in humans, a flexible form of intelligence capable of learning how to carry out vastly different tasks, anything from haircutting to building spreadsheets or reasoning about a wide variety of topics based on its accumulated experience.
What can Narrow AI do?
There are a vast number of emerging applications for narrow AI:
- Interpreting video feeds from drones carrying out visual inspections of infrastructure such as oil pipelines.
- Organizing personal and business calendars.
- Responding to simple customer-service queries.
- Coordinating with other intelligent systems to carry out tasks like booking a hotel at a suitable time and location.
- Helping radiologists to spot potential tumors in X-rays.
- Flagging inappropriate content online, detecting wear and tear in elevators from data gathered by IoT devices.
- Generating a 3D model of the world from satellite imagery… the list goes on and on.
What can General AI do?
A survey conducted among four groups of experts in 2012/13 by AI researchers Vincent C Müller and philosopher Nick Bostrom reported a 50% chance that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) would be developed between 2040 and 2050, rising to 90% by 2075.
What is machine learning?
What are neural networks?
What are other types of AI?
Another area of AI research is evolutionary computation.
What is fueling the resurgence in AI?
What are the elements of machine learning?
As mentioned, machine learning is a subset of AI and is generally split into two main categories: supervised and unsupervised learning.
Supervised learning
Unsupervised learning
Which are the leading firms in AI?
Which AI services are available?
All of the major cloud platforms — Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform — provide access to GPU arrays for training and running machine-learning models, with Google also gearing up to let users use its Tensor Processing Units — custom chips whose design is optimized for training and running machine-learning models.
Which countries are leading the way in AI?
It’d be a big mistake to think the US tech giants have the field of AI sewn up. Chinese firms Alibaba, Baidu, and Lenovo, invest heavily in AI in fields ranging from e-commerce to autonomous driving. As a country, China is pursuing a three-step plan to turn AI into a core industry for the country, one that will be worth 150 billion yuan ($22bn) by the end of 2020 to become the world’s leading AI power by 2030.
How can I get started with AI?
While you could buy a moderately powerful Nvidia GPU for your PC — somewhere around the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or faster — and start training a machine-learning model, probably the easiest way to experiment with AI-related services is via the cloud.
How will AI change the world?
Robots and driverless cars
Fake news
Facial recognition and surveillance
Healthcare
Reinforcing discrimination and bias
AI and global warming (climate change)
Will AI kill us all?
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more on AI in this iMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=artificial+intelligence+education
01
Aug
2021
Aug
2021
fact checking
When is fact-checking more rhetoric than fact
https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/chronicle-review/2021-07-29
“Twitter’s enforced brevity privileges the factoid,” for instance, and outlets like Vox have “built a brand around a house style that blends earnest righteousness and complacent, self-satisfied wonkery.” (https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-rise-of-the-pedantic-professor/)
“fact-grubbing” rhetoric, not fact-checking; their purpose was to persuade, not to explain, and at their worst they shaded into propaganda.
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more on fake news in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=fake+news
03
May
2021
May
2021
Manufacturing Ignorance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnotology
<https://youtu.be/t5UPnuSTRjA?t=2384> in 2000, it was genomics, in 2010, it was nanotechnology and in 2020 is AI
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more on fake news in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=%23fakenews
25
Feb
2021
Feb
2021
Library Instruction ENG 191
categories: academic library, information literacy
Library Instruction delivered by Plamen Miltenoff, pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.eduhttps://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/ ENG 191, Thursday (2PM)
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Instructor: Kirstin Bratt |
My name is Plamen Miltenoff (https://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/) and I am the InforMedia Specialist with the SCSU Library (https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/free-tech-instruction/).
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LIBRARY INSTRUCTION – Information, Digital and Media Literacy
- How (where from) do you receive your news? Do you think you are able to distinguish real news from fake news?
- Last year, researchers at Oxford University found that 70 countries had political disinformation campaigns over two years.
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/20/bots-and-disinformation/ - according to Pew Research Center, 68 percent of American adults get their news from social media—platforms where opinion is often presented as fact.
results of the international test revealed that only 14 percent of U.S. students were able to reliably distinguish between fact and opinion.
- Last year, researchers at Oxford University found that 70 countries had political disinformation campaigns over two years.
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/16/fake-news-prevention/
News and Media Literacy (and the lack of) is not very different from Information Literacy
An “information literate” student is able to “locate, evaluate, and effectively use information from diverse sources.” See more About Information Literacy.
How does information literacy help me?
Every day we have questions that need answers. Where do we go? Whom can we trust? How can we find information to help ourselves? How can we help our family and friends? How can we learn about the world and be a better citizen? How can we make our voice heard?
| The content of the tutorial is based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education as approved by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). |  |
The standards are:
Standard 1. The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the
information needed
Standard 2. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively
and efficiently
Standard 3. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources
critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge
base and value system
Standard 4. The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group,
uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Standard 5. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal,
and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses
information ethically and legally
Project Information Literacy
A national, longitudinal research study based in the University of Washington’s iSchool, compiling data on college students habits to seek and use information.
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- Developing Your Research Topic/Question
| Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following: |  |
Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following:
- Is my question one that is likely to have been researched and for which data have been published? Believe it or not, not every topic has been researched and/or published in the literature.
- Be flexible. Consider broadening or narrowing the topic if you are getting a limited number or an overwhelming number of results when you search. In nursing it can be helpful to narrow by thinking about a specific population (gender, age, disease or condition, etc.), intervention, or outcome.
- Discuss your topic with your professor and be willing to alter your topic according to the guidance you receive.
- Getting Ready for Research
Library Resources vs. the Internet
How (where from) do you receive information about your professional interests?
Advantages/disadvantages of using Web Resources
Evaluating Web Resources
- Google or similar; Yahoo, Bing
- Google Scholar
- Reddit, Digg, Quora
- Wikipedia
- Become a member of professional organizations and use their online information
- Use the SCSU library page to online databases
- Building Your List of Keywords
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- Why Keyword Searching?
Why not just type in a phrase or sentence like you do in Google or Yahoo!?- Because most electronic databases store and retrieve information differently than Internet search engines.
- A databases searches fields within a collection of records. These fields include the information commonly found in a citation plus an abstract (if available) and subject headings. Search engines search web content which is typically the full text of sources.
- Why Keyword Searching?
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- The bottom line: you get better results in a database by using effective keyword search strategies.
- To develop an effective search strategy, you need to:
- determine the key concepts in your topic and
- develop a good list of keyword synonyms.
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- Why use synonyms?
Because there is more than one way to express a concept or idea. You don’t know if the article you’re looking for uses the same expression for a key concept that you are using. - Consider: Will an author use:
- Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
- Teach or Instruct?
- Therapy or Treatment?
- Why use synonyms?
Don’t get “keyword lock!” Be willing to try a different term as a keyword. If you are having trouble thinking of synonyms, check a thesaurus, dictionary, or reference book for ideas.
Keyword worksheet
- Library Resources
How to find the SCSU Library Website
SCSU online databases
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- SCSU Library Web page
- Basic Research Skills
Locating and Defining a Database
Database Searching Overview:
You can search using the SCSU library online dbases by choosing:
Simple search
Advanced search
- Identifying a Scholarly Source
- Boolean operators
- Databases:
CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Health Source: Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
Psychology:
PsychINFO
General Science
ScienceDirect
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
- How do you evaluate a source of information to determine if it is appropriate for academic/scholarly use. There is no set “checklist” to complete but below are some criteria to consider when you are evaluating a source.
- ACCURACY
- Does the author cite reliable sources?
- How does the information compare with that in other works on the topic?
- Can you determine if the information has gone through peer-review?
- Are there factual, spelling, typographical, or grammatical errors?
- AUDIENCE
- Who do you think the authors are trying to reach?
- Is the language, vocabulary, style and tone appropriate for intended audience?
- What are the audience demographics? (age, educational level, etc.)
- Are the authors targeting a particular group or segment of society?
- AUTHORITY
- Who wrote the information found in the article or on the site?
- What are the author’s credentials/qualifications for this particular topic?
- Is the author affiliated with a particular organization or institution?
- What does that affiliation suggest about the author?
- ACCURACY
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- CURRENCY
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- Is the content current?
- Does the date of the information directly affect the accuracy or usefulness of the information?
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- OBJECTIVITY/BIAS
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- What is the author’s or website’s point of view?
- Is the point of view subtle or explicit?
- Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
- If opinion, is the opinion supported by credible data or informed argument?
- Is the information one-sided?
- Are alternate views represented?
- Does the point of view affect how you view the information?
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- PURPOSE
- What is the author’s purpose or objective, to explain, provide new information or news, entertain, persuade or sell?
- Does the purpose affect how you view the information presented?
- PURPOSE
- InterLibrary Loan
- Copyright and Fair Use
(https://sites.google.com/site/cuin3313/resources/copyright-fair-use-what-is-it-why-should-i-care)
Author Rights and Publishing & Finding Author Instructions for Publishing in Scholarly Journals
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- Plagiarism, academic honesty
- Writing Tips
- Dissemination of Research
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Plamen Miltenoff, Ph.D., MLIS
Professor
320-308-3072
pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu
http://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/
schedule a meeting: https://doodle.com/digitalliteracy
find my office: https://youtu.be/QAng6b_FJqs
22
Feb
2021
Feb
2021
QAnon France
The QAnon phenomenon has emerged in France – prompting President Emmanuel Macron’s government to order a multiagency inquiry on conspiracist movements scheduled to report back at the end of February from r/worldnews
‘Stakes are high’ as QAnon conspiracy phenomenon emerges in France
The French state agency responsible for tackling sectarian movements, MIVILUDES, has received some 15 reports over recent weeks raising the alarm about the rise of QAnon in France, Le Figaro reported.
The DéQodeurs website offers links to “information” including articles relaying fake news based on QAnon tropes – such as the baseless claim that in 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was about to release documents proving the existence of a massive paedophile ring in Washington DC.
While it tends to eschew such lurid narratives, anti-vaccine sentiment is relatively widespread in France. An Ipsos poll published in November found that 46 percent of French adults said they would refuse to receive a Covid-19 vaccine – compared to 21 percent in the UK. A 2019 Gallup poll found that one in three French people thought all vaccines are dangerous – the highest proportion of respondents to say so in 144 countries surveyed.
QAnon’s French sympathisers are far more ideologically heterogenous than those in the US, St Denny observed: “QAnon in France is definitely not the monopoly of far-right sympathisers as it might be in the US. Its anti-government underpinnings have made the conspiracy theory attractive to a very disparate collection of groups and individuals including established conspiracy theorists, some fringes of the Yellow Vests movement, and some of the more conspiracy-oriented among the alternative health movement.”
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more on QAnon in this iMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=qanon
18
Feb
2021
Feb
2021
Media Literacy for GLST 195
Information Media and Digital Literacy for GLST 195: Global Society & Citizenship
Instructor: Prof. Chuks Ugochukwu Per Syllabus:
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course meets Liberal Education Program (LEP), Goal Area 8: Global Perspective; and Goal Area 9: Ethical and Civic Responsibility objectives
Goal Area 8: Global Perspective. Objective: Develop a comparative perspective and understanding of one’s place in a global context.
Students will be able to:
- Describe and analyze political, economic, and cultural elements which influence relations of states and societies in their historical and contemporary dimensions.
- Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences.
- Analyze specific international problems, illustrating the cultural,economic, and political differences that affect their solution.
- Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.
Goal Area 9: Ethical and Civic Responsibility Objective: Understand and evaluate ethical or civic issues and theories and participate in active citizenship or ethical judgment
OUR HUSKY COMPACT
Our Husky Compact is a bond shared by St. Cloud State University and its students that a SCSU education will prepare students for a life of growth and fulfillment – intellectually, professionally, and personally. When students graduate with an SCSU education, they will:
- Think Creatively and Critically
- Seek and Apply Knowledge
- Communicate Effectively
- Integrate Existing and Evolving Technologies
- Engage as a Member of a Diverse and Multicultural World
- Act with Personal Integrity and Civic Responsibility
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Week ???: Information – Media and Digital Literacy
Most students can’t tell fake news from real news, study shows
Read more: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/03/28/fake-news-3/
Module 1
video to introduce students to the readings and expected tasks
https://mediaspace.minnstate.edu/media/GLST+195+Module+1/1_32242qua
- Fake News / Misinformation / Disinformation
- Definitions
- Fake news, alternative facts
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=fake+news
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=alternative+facts
- Fake news, alternative facts
- Definitions
Mini-Assignment: After reading the information from the links above, take a minute to write out your own definition of 1. Fake News 2. Alternative Facts
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- Misinformation vs disinformation
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/02/18/fake-news-disinformation-propaganda/
- Misinformation vs disinformation
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Mini-Assignment: After reading the information from the links above, take a minute to write out your own definition of 1. Misinformation 2. Disinformation. What are their main characteristics? How do they differ?
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- Propaganda
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Mini-Assignment: What is Propaganda? How do misinformation, disinformation, fake news and alternative facts fit into the process of propaganda?
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- Conspiracy theories
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=conspiracy+theories
- Conspiracy theories
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Mini-Assignment: Using the information from the links above, can you establish the connection between conspiracy theories, propaganda, mis- and disinformation, fake news, alternative news and social media?
Mini-Assignment: using the info from the links above and/or information you have collected, can you define the role of bots and trolls in social media in regard to propaganda and conspiracy theories?
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- Clickbait
Filter bubbles, echo chambers
(8 min) video explains filter bubbles
https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter
- Clickbait
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Mini-Assignment:: based on your own information and experience, as well as the information offered in the links, can you define your own resistance to clickbaits?
- Social Media role
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/12/17/russian-trolls-used-meme-warfare/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/10/25/whatsapp-and-fake-news/
Assignment: which challenges do you identify with?
The Challenge of Teaching News Literacy:
https://soundcloud.com/edsurge/the-challenge-of-teaching-news-literacy
25 min podcast.
In a short paragraph, identify the issues you see as important to address in order to improve your own news literacy.
time to accomplish the assignment: ~45 min (including listening to the podcast).
- Why is it important to understand these processes?
Assignment: why is it important:
In a short paragraph, share your initial feeling about Fake News / Misinformation / Disinformation. 1. Do you think, it is important at all? 2. If yes, why; if not, why. 3. If yes, what is the importance, the impact?
time to accomplish the assignment: ~5-10 min
- How to deal with these processes
- how do we apply hands-on critical thinking to withstand these processes?
- What is critical thinking
- how do we apply hands-on critical thinking to withstand these processes?
disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/critical-thinking
- Ability to research
Ability to find reliable information
- Popular media
How to spot fake news:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/03/15/fake-news-bib/
Can machines create fake news?
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2019/10/24/fake-news-generator/
Can machines “clean up” fake from real?
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/11/16/identifying-fake-news-by-90/
What can humans do to distinguish fake from real? Consider these five factors:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/06/26/fake-news-real-news/
Considering the second factor (who published it), here is a scale to consider when evaluating the veracity of your sources:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/08/13/library-spot-fake-news/
(can you find your favorite magazine/newspaper on the graphic?)
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/12/14/fake-news-2/
(can you find your favorite news organization on the graphic?)
Factcheckers/Factchecking Organizations:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/03/28/fake-news-resources/
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2016/12/14/fake-news-2/
- Peer-reviewed literature
Similarly to the assessment of popular information sources, academia requires vigorous vetting if the sources you will be using for your academic work. In the 21st century, your ability to find information in peer-reviewed journals might not be sufficient to assure accurate and reliable use of information from those resources for your research and writing. After your selection of peer-reviewed literature, you must be able to evaluate and determine the veracity and reliability of those sources.
How do you evaluate a source of information to determine if it is appropriate for academic/scholarly use. There is no set “checklist” to complete but below are some criteria to consider when you are evaluating a source.
Here is a short (4 min) video introducing you to the well-known basics for evaluation of academic literature:
https://youtu.be/qUd_gf2ypk4
- ACCURACY
- Does the author cite reliable sources?
- How does the information compare with that in other works on the topic?
- Can you determine if the information has gone through peer-review?
- Are there factual, spelling, typographical, or grammatical errors?
- AUDIENCE
- Who do you think the authors are trying to reach?
- Is the language, vocabulary, style and tone appropriate for intended audience?
- What are the audience demographics? (age, educational level, etc.)
- Are the authors targeting a particular group or segment of society?
- AUTHORITY
- Who wrote the information found in the article or on the site?
- What are the author’s credentials/qualifications for this particular topic?
- Is the author affiliated with a particular organization or institution?
- What does that affiliation suggest about the author?
- CURRENCY
- Is the content current?
- Does the date of the information directly affect the accuracy or usefulness of the information?
- OBJECTIVITY/BIAS
- What is the author’s or website’s point of view?
- Is the point of view subtle or explicit?
- Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
- If opinion, is the opinion supported by credible data or informed argument?
- Is the information one-sided?
- Are alternate views represented?
- Does the point of view affect how you view the information?
- PURPOSE
- What is the author’s purpose or objective, to explain, provide new information or news, entertain, persuade or sell?
- Does the purpose affect how you view the information presented?
In 2021, however, all suggestions above may not be sufficient to distinguish a reliable source of information, even if the article made it through the peer-reviewed process. In time, you should learn to evaluate the research methods of the authors and decide if they are reliable. Same applies for the research findings and conclusions.
Assignment: seeking reliable information
From your syllabus weekly themes: 1. Food; 2. Health; 3. Energy; 4. Environment; 5. Security, chose a topic of your interest.
For example: Food: raising cattle for food contributes to climate changes, because of the methane gas, or Health: COVID is the same (or not the same) as the flu; or Energy: Fossil energy is bad (or good) for the environment; etc.
Please consult with me (email me for a zoom appointment: pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu), if you need to discuss the choice and narrowing down of the topic.
Once you decide on the topic, do the research by collecting four sources of information:
The first couple of sources will be from popular media, whereas each of the two articles will be having an opposite approach, arguments and understanding of the issue. For example, one article will claim fossil energy is bad for the environment and the other one will argue fossil fuel has insignificant impact on climate change. You must be able to evaluate the veracity and the leaning of each source. The source can be a newspaper or magazine article, video (TV or Social Media), audio (podcasts, TV, etc.), presentations (PowerPoint, SlideShare, etc.).
Having troubles finding opposing resources? Feel welcome to search for your topic among these news outlets on the conservative side:
https://www.conservapedia.com/Top_Conservative_news_websites
and the https://aelieve.com/rankings/websites/category/news-media/top-liberal-websites/
In the same fashion, you will evaluate the second couple of sources from peer-reviewed journals. Each source will have different approach, argument and understanding of the issue and you must evaluate the robustness of the research method.
time to accomplish the assignment: ~30 min
Module 2 (video to introduce students to the readings and expected tasks)
- Digital Citizenship, Global Citizenship and Multiculturalism
- Definitions
- Global Citizenship
seek global sources:
start reading:
e.g. start following and reading several news outlets from other countries and with time, you should be able to detect differences in opinions and facts presented at those outlets and your current sources for information:
Spiegel International (German, left-leaning)
https://www.facebook.com/spiegelinternational
Le Monde Diplomatique
https://www.facebook.com/mondediplo
El Pais (Spanish, left leaning)
https://www.facebook.com/elpaisinenglish
Moscow Times (Russian, left leaning)
https://www.facebook.com/MoscowTimes
The Epoch Times (Chinese, far-right)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/
Start watching (smart phone, laptop) news feeds, live or vlog (video blog):
Africa News
https://youtu.be/NQjabLGdP5g
Nigeria Live (you can seek any other country on YouTube by typing the name of the country adding “live”)
https://youtu.be/ATJc9LyPZj8
Al Jazeera in English
https://youtu.be/GXfsI-zZO7s
Deutsche Welle
https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish
BBC
https://www.youtube.com/user/bbcnews
Russia Today
https://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday
China Today
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBOqkAGTtzZVmKvY4SwdZ2g
India News
https://www.youtube.com/user/IndiaTV
you can also follow specific people’s vlogs, e.g.
Alexei Navalny’s vlog has English subtitles
https://www.youtube.com/user/NavalnyRu
France 24 Live
https://youtu.be/HeTWwH1a0CQ
Start listening (smart phone, laptop):
BBC
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.bbc.android.iplayerradio&hl=en_US&gl=US (Android app)
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bbc-sounds/id1380676511 (iOS app)
Deutsche Welle
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.exlivinapps.deutschewelleradioappde&hl=en_US&gl=US (Android app)
https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/deutsche-welle/id305630107 (iOS app)
Assignment:
Global Citizenship and Multiculturalism and Information and Media Literacy
Study the following tweet feed
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2021/02/18/facebook-google-australia/
If the information from the tweet feed is insufficient, research the issue by seeking reliable sources. (In a short paragraph defend your choice of reliable sources).
What do you see as more important issue: the Facebook stance that it can be a subject of Australian law or the Australian government stance that Facebook is interfering in Australian life with its news delivery? Is Facebook a news outlet or a platform for news outlets? Does Facebook need to be regulated? By who; each country do have to regulate Facebook or Facebook needs to be regulated globally?
time to accomplish the assignment: ~30 min
Module 3 (video to introduce students to the readings and expected tasks)
- Assistance for work on the final project / paper
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Here a list of additional materials and readings on Fake News
https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter
09
Feb
2021
Feb
2021
Epik
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more on fake news in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=fake+news
09
Feb
2021
Feb
2021
media: the enemy of the people
categories: media literacy
DER SPIEGEL: Trump attacked the Post frequently during his presidency. For you personally, what was the most noteworthy moment with him?
Baron: It was the first time he used the phrase “enemy of the people”. It was shocking. It’s a phrase that has obviously been used in other contexts in the worst possible way …
DER SPIEGEL: … during the Third Reich, for example, Hitler’s regime used that term to persecute political enemies.
Baron: You’re making an analogy there to what ultimately transpired in Germany, but I’m not ready to go that far just yet. It was clear that he was going to go to the extreme to demonize us. He endeavored to portray us as garbage, as scoundrels. And he has done, I have to say, a very effective job of turning people against us. That was the objective, to get his followers to ignore whatever we wrote and to view whatever we wrote as a product of the opposition. He wanted to portray us as the opposition party. He has been largely successful in achieving that. He wouldn’t stop even if it posed the risk of violence against journalists, and it has resulted in violence and threats against journalists.
My note: the even more appropriate analogy would be actually with Stalin’s purges, where not only high-ranking Party’ officials, but regular people were condemned as “enemy of the people” and either death-sentenced or banished in the Gulag. #populism
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more on fake news in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=fake+news
more on social media in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=social+media