West Virginia University Fake News Source Evaluation Discussion

Fake news is not news you disagree with. Yet, the American public has become woefully distrustful of news media. In casual conversation, we blur the lines between fake news, bias, and misinformation. And yet, this blurring of lines leaves us helpless. Many of us don’t know where to turn for trustworthy news, and yet our democracy relies on our ability to find and evaluate news sources.

For this forum, we’ll look at several readings about source evaluation, especially news source evaluation. To start, complete the assigned readings (they are listed in the Week 3 description and on the syllabus). Then, write a 150-200 word post to address the following. Note: I do not expect you to address each of the bullet points. Choose one or two bullet points to address.

• You might apply the evaluation criteria from JAC to one of this week’s readings, optional readings, or a news article. The criteria are,”authority,currency, bias/objectivity, accuracy, and primary vs. secondary sources” (p. 24).
• You might define the difference between fake news and propaganda, or you might define one of the other types of bad information, such as clickbait (see the Cornell reading). https://guides.library.cornell.edu/evaluate_news
• You might react to the Gallup and Knight Foundation report about trust, media, and democracy. For example, what do you make of the finding that, “Political party was the primary determining factor driving Americans’ opinions of and trust in the media” (p. 1)? Or, you might reflect on the extent to which trust in the media is necessary for a democracy.
• You might consider the role that algorithms play in reinforcing our biases. You might even conduct an experiment in which you look at your social media feed. Do you see any news that you disagree with?
• You might describe the difference between Factual Reporting and News Analysis. Why is it important to know the difference?