Much has appeared in the media recently about fake news. Librarians have been concentrating our efforts with out students for years on evaluating sources. This election has certainly proved the need for this education. We all look for one quick and definitive test for vetting a site. I think I have that for you.
A BI-PARTISAN HYPERTENSIVE GUIDE TO FAKE NEWS
Is it real or is it memorex? (this slogan sure shows my age) Is it fake or is it slanted?
SYMPTOM: Blood pressure is through the roof. OMG! This is OUTRAGEOUS. I must post this to FB immediately.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: It might be a hoax from a fake news site. Calm down and do your research before posting.
Have a glass of wine!
SYMPTOM: Blood pressure is normal or below. WOW! I knew I was right. I must post this to FB immediately.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: It is probably a story from a news source that is slanted towards your side of the political spectrum. Don’t believe everything you read on this site. Go outside your comfort zone a little to read a site with another point of views.
Have a glass of wine!
SYMPTOM: Blood pressure is normal or slightly elevated. Oh my! Some of this is challenging my long-held convictions. Some of it matches my opinions. Whatever should I do?!
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: It is probably a story from a news source that is a little more balanced. You still should not believe everything you read on this site. Research and read some more.
Have a glass of wine!
Unfortunately, Jacquie, those who fall for fake news haven’t made the acquaintance of a librarian in a very long time. I have an intelligent, college-educated family member who posted (and continues to post) fake news to shore up her political opinions. She asked me last month what fact checking was, and had never used a fact-checking site. That explains it.
Evaluation techniques have to get out there somehow. Hopefully the students going through school right now are getting some practical help with this. I used to actually grade my students’ works cited sheets based on the credibility of the sites they used and the balance of information taken as a whole. I always told my incoming freshmen that their goal was to avoid turning in any sites that I could use for next year’s class to laugh at. The “best’ one I ever got was from a student researching the history of vampires. She turned in this site: The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency. http://www.fvza.org
Guess I wouldn’t get too upset if trump were to target that one as a way of cutting back on excessive government oversight!!
Meanwhile, we have to endure folks who do not have the patience or the understanding to be skeptical of what they read. It is is bit like trying to empty the ocean with a teacup – but we have to give it a whirl
In the meantime – grit our teeth if it is a relative. I have given up posting hoax buster pages on sites that friends post. I sometime will send them a private message – but mostly I just post the hoax buster site in the hopes that others will see it an be forewarned.
I hope your teeth survive the gritting!