Are the Houthis in Yemen “Iran-backed” or “Iran-aligned”? Are Hezbollah members “terrorists” or “liberators”? Labels can make a big difference. A sheet of sticker labels. (Illustration by News Decoder) From 24 to 31 October, the world marks Global Media and...
Social media users report a rise in bizarre AI-generated images. What does this tell us about the direction of viral content? The AI-generated viral “Shrimp Jesus” image. From 24 to 31 October, the world marks Global Media and Information Literacy Week, an...
Can you spot a deep fake and separate fact from opinion? How do you know what you know? Do you understand how algorithms work? We’ll help you sort it out. A feather duster over the word media. (Illustration by News Decoder) From 24 to 31 October, the world marks...
Millions die of hunger in one place. No one cares. Millions are dying of hunger somewhere else and the world sends food. What’s the difference? Bob Geldof, one of the original organizers of the ‘Live Aid’ concerts in 1985, displays a copy of the...
In Finland, teaching media literacy in schools is a way to stave off the disinformation invasion that looms on its border. The design on the cover of “The ABC Book of Media Literacy.” (News Media Finland) From 24 to 31 October, the world marks Global Media...
These are polarising times. If we want to heal divisions and save democracy, we need to listen to views we don’t like to hear. People stick fingers in their ears to keep from hearing what they don’t want to hear. (Illustration by News Decoder) Editor’s...
To counter the lies slowing the fight against climate change and harming our democratic institutions will take a global effort. But people are mobilising. At the EU Disinformation Lab, Claire Atkin, co-founder of the ad industry watchdog Check My Ads, discussed ways...
Journalists are trained to be objective. But what does that mean and where did that idea come from? And is it achievable? A handwritten telegram informing the world of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s death written on 14 April 1865. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)...
How we perceive events like the war in Ukraine depends on our news sources. While never perfect, news media perform invaluable services. A note tacked onto a refrigerator reminds someone to pick up needed items including news. (Illustration by News Decoder)...
Why do so many people believe ridiculous things? Maybe because they read these things over and over. Can we stop the spread of dangerous misinformation? A man in a bubble hears repeatedly that climate change is a hoax. (Illustration by News Decoder) Journalism and...
Marcy Burstiner explores the dangers of repetition in the spread of misinformation and why if you repeat something untrue enough times and people just might start to believe it. Use this exercise to investigate how information is created and spread, to tackle fake news and rumor and to develop research skills, critical thinking and media literacy around news consumption.
Exercise: Choose a piece of news or advertising that you know to be inflated, untrue or explore an urban myth. Look into how this news became popular belief. Why did it gain popularity? What forces might be behind the spread of this information? Who does the narrative benefit? To start, you could work through a case study from this website as a class. Students then choose their piece of news to prove true or debunk as myth.