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Deborah Kozdras: University of South Florida Stavros Center
Visual Texts and
Deborah Kozdras:[email protected] USF Stavros Center
Fake It ‘till You Make It: From the Boogie Man to Bogus News
Jodi [email protected] USF Stavros Center
http://tinyurl.com/fakenewsworkshop
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/politifacts-2016-lie-of-the-year-fake-news/2306159
Was Napoleon Short?
• http://r.hswstatic.com/w_907/gif/false-history-11a.jpg
http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-false-history-facts10.htm
Did Benjamin Franklin discover electricity while flying a kite?
• http://r.hswstatic.com/w_907/gif/false-history-11a.jpg
http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-false-history-facts10.htm
• 1782, Benjamin Franklin concocted an entirely fake issue of a real Boston newspaper, the Independent Chronicle.
• Franklin fabricated a story from the New York frontier : American forces had discovered bags containing more than 700 SCALPS from our unhappy Country-folks.” There were bags of boys’, girls’, soldiers and even infants’ scalps, all allegedly taken by Indians in league with King George.
• Sent copies to his colleagues insisting it was true.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fake-news-thats-a-very-old-story/2016/11/25/c8b1f3d4-b330-11e6-8616-52b15787add0_story.html?utm_term=.de1971e180cc
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-37-02-0132
Wrote to a friend (Richard Price) about the power of the news . . .
The ancient Roman and Greek Orators could only speak to the Number of Citizens capable of being assembled within the Reach of their Voice: Their Writings had little Effect because the Bulk of the People could not read. Now by the Press we can speak to Nations; and good Books & well written Pamphlets have great and general Influence. The Facility with which the same Truths may be repeatedly enforc’d by placing them daily in different Lights, in Newspapers which are every where read, gives a great Chance of establishing them. And we now find that it is not only right to strike while the Iron is hot, but that it is very practicable to heat it by continual Striking.—
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-37-02-0299
What Used to be Ridiculous . . .
Now Looks True: This is a supermarket in Venezuela or not?
• https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--s0ipN7PV--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/gb2bfoikis3fntlrv1u1.jpg
Economics: Why Do They Do It?
Economics: Why Do They Do It?
http://www.tampabay.com/features/media/facebook-and-google-take-action-against-fake-news-sites/2302881
Ask:
• What does the phrase “fake news” mean?• When have you or someone you know fallen for or shared fake or inaccurate news of some kind?• Why does it matter if we can’t tell real news from fake news?
Read T
Findings
Nearly four in 10 high school students believed, based on the headline, that this photograph of deformed daisies provided strong evidence of toxic conditions near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, even though no source or location was given for the photo.
Stanford SHEG: Evaluating Evidence
Stanford SHEG Project: Home Page Analysis
https://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Executive%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf
Stanford SHEG: Claims on Social Media
New York Times: Fake News Activity
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/learning/lesson-plans/evaluating-sources-in-a-post-truth-world-ideas-for-teaching-and-learning-about-fake-news.html
Understanding Different Types of Unreliable News: Are Some of These More Dangerous Than Others?
• Satirical news from a site like The Onion
• The daily clickbait from social media
• News that shows a bias
• Outright invented news
Follow a Case Study in How Fake News Spreads
1) Wikileaks: releasing emails from John Podesta
2) Social media users on Reddit & 4chan scan emails; see words pizza and dinner plans
3) 4chan user links the words “cheese pizza” to cp, (on chat boards “child pornography”)
4) Users linked pizza to Comet Ping Pong and the owner James Alefantis
5) News swept through about neighboring businesses involving secret underground tunnels, satanic cults, cannibalism . . .
6) 28-year old arrives with gun, finds nothing, surrenders.
7) Online stories continue . . .
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/business/media/how-fake-news-spreads.html
Costs
Benefits
Costs
Benefits
American Press Institute:Six Critical Questions for Media
1. Type: What kind of content is this?2. Source: Who and what are the sources cited and
why should I believe them?3. Evidence: What’s the evidence and how was it
vetted? 4. Interpretation: Is the main point of the piece proven
by the evidence?5. Completeness: What’s missing?6. Knowledge: Am I learning every day what I need?
In MSM: Fact vs Opinion
News vs News Analysis