Just Politics

[jbsliverer]

Front page of Britannica today;

https://www.britannica.com/

How to Know the Truth
Misinformation flooded social media following the helicopter crash that claimed the life of Iranian Pres. Ebrihim Raisi. One post joked that Raisi was assassinated by a Mossad agent named “Eli Kopter”—and that “information” was picked up and reported as fact by a foreign-language media outlet. In an age when breaking news often unfolds on social media, this latest example underscores the importance of news literacy.

What is news literacy?
News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information using the standards of quality journalism. It involves “thinking like a journalist” to determine what information to trust, share, and act on. One good approach to suspicious content is to open a new tab and read what other reputable sites have to say on the topic.

Misinformation or disinformation?
Misinformation is the inadvertent spread of false information without intent to harm—“Eli Kopter” fits this bill. In contrast, disinformation is false info designed to mislead others and is deliberately spread to confuse fact and fiction. Generative AI tools have made it easy to create and spread false information, with realistic images, synthetic audio, and text that seems authoritative.

The deepest fakes
Make sure to consult multiple credible sources to determine whether content is authentic or AI-generated. Some common warning signs include manipulated text on signs or T-shirts, doctored or fabricated images of “amazing” nature or space scenes, out-of-context photos of protests and crowds, and screenshots of articles shared without links to the actual content.



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The News Literacy Project
@NewsLitProject
We're a national education nonprofit offering nonpartisan programs that teach students & the public how to know what to believe in the digital age #NewsLiteracy

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