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.
When you read or hear a story do you feel left out because you don’t know the background? Why do some stories leave us feeling stupid? Professional sports commentators in press box at American football game. (Credit: SDI Productions/Getty Images Signature)...
Over five days, young people working with News Decoder mastered the art of interviewing and learned what it takes to turn audio into a podcast. Two teens create cover artwork for their podcasts at a News Decoder camp on audio storytelling at the American School of...
The term “woke” is caught up in a divisive culture war in the United States. Why is the idea of social justice not universally accepted? A protest about book banning at the capitol building in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, 12 February 2022....
Many people around the world already distrust their election systems. What will happen when artificial intelligence enters the picture? A man creates a deep fake image of former U.S. President Donald Trump in prison. (Illustration by News Decoder) There have been a...
What’s the point of reporting on an unsolvable problem? Instead, identify solutions people can act on. News Decoder’s Program & Communications Manager Cathal O’Luanaigh gives a workshop on podcasting. Credit: News Decoder Journalism can be a...
One of News Decoder’s new board members has made it her mission to help young people navigate the media landscape to better understand the world they live in. Elis Estrada, new addition to the Nouvelles-Découvertes board. Elis Estrada grew up watching local...