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Where the evidence of fake news is really hiding
When it comes to sniffing out whether a source is credible or not, even journalists can sometimes take the wrong approach.
18 July, 2019
- We all think that we're competent consumers of news media, but the research shows that even journalists struggle with identifying fact from fiction.
- When judging whether a piece of media is true or not, most of us focus too much on the source itself. Knowledge has a context, and it's important to look at that context when trying to validate a source.
- The opinions expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect the views of the Charles Koch Foundation, which encourages the expression of diverse viewpoints within a culture of civil discourse and mutual respect.
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How the Spanish press became corrupted
A new book from the former editor of El Mundo describes a culture of corruption in Spain's press. In exchange for favorable coverage of politicians and corporations, bribes.
11 July, 2019
Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images
- David Jiménez, former editor of El Mundo, recently published a book called El Director that describes the rampant corruption he saw while running the newspaper.
- The corruption of Spanish press is symptomatic of a larger issue with corruption that is on-going in Spain.
- Most recently, the People's Party was ousted from power after a massive corruption scandal, leading to the rise of the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party. However, whether El Mundo can escape from the culture of corruption it experienced under the previous regime remains to be seen.
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How the media stokes compassion. And why it's a double-edged sword.
Compassion is one of several news values that determine if a story is published.
08 July, 2019
HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images
- How the media frame a story can influence who the audience feels compassionate toward.
- Part of telling a story requires combatting inherent obstacles to sustained compassion.
- Compassion is one of several news values that determine if a story is published.
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The media won't get less politicized. News consumers must get smarter.
How do you do justice to the truth in a headline-driven world?
19 June, 2019
- The internet is parasitic on traditional media sources, says Keith Whittington. Traditional news outlets do the hard reporting to generate the facts and notable opinions that other outlets respond to.
- The greatest challenge to truth in journalism is that social media presents news stories out of context; we no longer see news among other news articles, and we may only ever see the headline without the detail and nuance required.
- Media institutions are working to tackle these challenges, but until then it is our responsibility as citizens and consumers to get smarter about how we navigate news feeds and the hyper-partisan press.
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What’s wrong with the internet? We’d rather “display” than communicate.
Jonathan Rauch explains why the internet is so hostile to the truth, and what we can do to change that.
12 June, 2019
- Disruptive technologies tend to regress humanity back to our default mode: deeply ingrained tribalism.
- Rather than using the internet to communicate, many people use it to display their colors or group affinity, like tribespeople wearing face paint. Fake news spreads faster than truth in these tribal environments.
- How can we solve this problem without censorship? Platforms like Facebook and Google are tilting the playing field to be more pro-truth by asking people to stop, think, and take responsibility.
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