ACRL Framework: Authority is Constructed and Contextual, Information Creation as a Process
Student Learning Objectives
Terms
Learning Materials
Evaluating news worksheet.docx: https://www.projectcora.org/assignment/evaluating-news-sites-credible-or-clickbait
Ordway, D. (2017). Fake news and the spread of misinformation: A research roundup. The Journalist's Resource.
Pappas, S. (2022). Fighting fake news in the classroom. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/01/career-fake-news
Stevens, Kate. (2022). Lesson plan: An experiment in misinformation. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/2022/04/lesson-plan-an-experiment-in-misinformation/
Wardle, Claire (2017). Fake news. It’s complicated. First Draft News. https://firstdraftnews.org/articles/fake-news-complicated/
Instructional Procedure
1. Prior to covering research strategies on search engines like Google, ask students if they’re familiar with the terms misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.
Before we discuss Google research strategies, can anyone tell me the difference between misinformation and disinformation?
2.If students do not share examples, provide context to both terms.
In recent years, the terms misinformation and disinformation have been mentioned more prominently in the news. Due to the rise of digital access and political polarization, more articles are saturated with misleading and deceitful information. Regardless of the reasons, it’s important to know the difference between both terms, and know the difference between a reliable article and a discredited one.
3. Write terms on the white board or present them on a powerpoint slide
Misinformation – inaccurate or misleading information, not intended to deceive or cause harm.
Essentially, when someone believes something is true, but it's not, it’s considered misinformation. We typically experience misinformation related content through gossip and rumors. Especially with social media, it’s easy to read articles, tweets and posts that aren’t true, and repost them or even share them to others without fact-checking the information.
Disinformation – false information which is intended to mislead or deceive.
Disinformation, on the other hand, are sources that are not only false, but they’re designed to mislead readers and sway public opinion. As a country, we have experienced the dangerous consequences of both misinformation and disinformation (COVID conspiracies, Jan. 6th insurrection ___ you may list other examples). Fake news, a term you may have heard before, is a combination of the two.
Fake News – news articles that consist of either misinformation and/or disinformation.
These news articles contain false and misleading information. Many fake news articles are published to make a profit, with advertisements and misleading titles that serve as clickbait. However, Fake News articles also contribute to an ideological agenda. You may have heard the term russian bots, where “fake” social media accounts, financially supported by the Russian government, intentionally plant fake stories online to sway public opinion or impact politics. Similarly, White Supremacists are notorious for creating fake user accounts to engage in platform manipulation – spreading racist, anti-semetic tweets and articles online that encourages Black and Brown social media users to adopt hateful ideologies and conspiracy theories.
4. Briefly highlight the rise of mis-disinformation.
Unfortunately, all of us experience some form of misinformation or disinformation on a daily basis. In fact, fake news articles and stories spread 10x faster than real news stories. And if we’re not careful, we can be susceptible to information that is deceitful and harmful.
5. Introduce to students Google Advanced Search Shortcuts
A way to filter your sources where you’re receiving reliable reliable sources is by using Google’s Search Shortcuts
(Provide classroom with example or ask students for their research topic)
Government Website Searching
This will search for the exact phrase "global warming" only in U.S. Government websites.
This will search the phrase "global warming" or "climate change" and just in U.S. government webpages. You do have to capitalize the OR to make it work correctly.
This will search in the Internet only for web pages with the phrases, "global warming" or "climate change" in the titles of the webpages. And, they have to be U.S. government websites.
This will run the same search as above, but it will only bring back webpages stored as PDFs. These will generally be professional articles or government reports.
Educational Institution Searches
Searches for web pages with the phrase, "tell tale heart" in the titles of the pages and the pages have to be published by some sort of educational institution, hence the .edu after the site:
Same as the original Tell Tale Heart in educational sites search, but this limits it to webpages stored as PDFs, which will primarily bring back articles with this phrase in the titles.
Non-Profit Web Page Searches
Searches for webpages published only by non-profit organizations with the word privacy in the titles of the pages.
For more examples, please refer to the link below: Google Advanced Search Shortcut Guide from Front Range Community College, Westminster, CO
Google Advanced Search Shortcut. Front Range Community College. https://www.frontrange.edu/docs/default-source/campuses/libraries/google-search-shortcuts.pdf?sfvrsn=5508b9a7_6
The following sources are examples of Fake News articles – either referenced from mainstream news outlets like the Washington Post, or existing information published by radical, far left/right organizations like Breitbart or Tatum report. Share these resources in your research guides, allowing students to identify a fake news article.
"Donald Trump sent his own plane to transport 200 stranded marines"
A fake news story is picked up by a major media talk show host.
"FBI director received millions from Clinton Foundation, his brother’s law firm does Clinton’s taxes"
An unreliable and biased news site generates over 538,000 engagements on Facebook by using a fake headline.
"Pope Francis shocks world, endorses Donald Trump for president"
Fake news site fools world media and generates 960,000 Facebook engagements.
'Ghost of Kyiv' killed in fighting, has shot down 40 Russian jets
The Ghost of Kyiv is a mythical figure and not real. Viral video showing the Ghost of Kyiv shooting down a Russian plane was viewed over 1.6 million times on Twitter. The video is actually from a video game simulator released in 2008.
3 Reasons Why You Should Stop Eating Peanut Butter Cups
Shared over 207,000 times on Facebook.
Coronavirus Bioweapon – How China Stole Coronavirus From Canada And Weaponized It
One of a long list of fake Coronavirus news stories and articles.
Evidence Surfaces That The FBI Planned And Executed January 6 Capitol Riot
Example of a common far-right conspiracy theory regarding the January 6 riots.
Rupaul claims Trump touched him inappropriately in the 1990s
Fake, satirical site deceiving users, generating 285,000 Facebook engagements with fake headlines.
Obama Signs Executive Order Banning The Pledge Of Allegiance In Schools Nationwide
Generated over 2 million interactions on Facebook.
Fact checking websites
Similar to the fake news articles, you can embed the following fact check resources in your research guide.
FactCheck.org: Monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
Politifact: Rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.
Snopes.com: Attempts to debunk and validate urban legends, Internet rumors and other stories of uncertain origin.
AllSides, an organization that evaluates political bias throughout all media outlets, created the Media Bias Chart -- categorizing news outlets according to their political rhetoric. To learn more, can visit AllSides Media Bias Chart.
Spot the Troll is an online quiz, designed by Clemson’s Media Forensics Hub, that asks students to examine images of real social media content and decide whether it's from a legitimate account or an internet troll. Collaborate with faculty and assign the quiz to students following your information literacy session – request students to post their reflections on the discussion board or share in class.