Tsunami of misinformation swamps vital truths
Resources to sift fact from fiction may be a matter of life and death
With the torrent of misinformation and untruths swirling around us, it’s never been more important to verify what we read, see and hear.
The speed at which news unfolds and the unprecedented deluge of data coming at us from many directions simultaneously requires us to become adept at the increasingly difficult – and important – task of deciding what is true, what’s relevant and what can safely be ignored.
The need to be a smarter consumer of media has never been greater. It’s what academics call ‘media literacy’, but it does not require a college degree to become a smarter consumer of news and information.
There are are variety of easily accessible tools available to sift fact from fiction. In some cases, it’s a matter of life and death.
One of the biggest and perhaps least well known news gathering organizations is the Associated Press which operates in 250 locations across the globe and reaches half the population of the world every day.
More than 15,000 news outlets across all platforms subscribe to and publish AP stories. Yet it is not exactly a household name.
“We were founded as an independent news cooperative, whose members are U.S. newspapers and broadcasters, steadfast in our mission to inform the world,” its website says. “From delivering the news via pony express in 1846 to working in virtual reality today, we are always innovating.”
In a recent interview on CNN, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace addressed the issue of information overload and how to manage it.
“We want to make sure we are covering those stories that are really important to a global audience,” she said.
“Threats to democracy, climate change, certainly the virus and how we live coming out of the pandemic.”
Pace added that the goal is “signaling to the audience that this is a topic that is global, that [it] links people around the world and that we are going to be multi-layered in our approach to it.”
One innovative service offered by AP is it’s fact-checking feature NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week which it describes as “Fact-checking, accountability journalism and misinformation coverage from AP journalists around the globe.”
It has an easy-to read-format that debunks false information about topics making headlines.
In a special entry about the Dec. 29 sex-trafficking trial of Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, the AP published a rebuttal to a common but false rumor about the case:
CLAIM: The judge in the Maxwell case ordered details of Epstein’s network sealed after the jury found Maxwell guilty.
THE FACTS: Posts online are claiming that U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan ordered details of Epstein’s network sealed and that prosecutors made a deal to protect Maxwell’s contacts. But that doesn’t track with what actually happened.
“Details of Epstein’s network came out at trial in numerous ways, through multiple witnesses and exhibits, including flight logs and bank records. And almost nothing was sealed.”
Another false claim widely circulating was also refuted in the special post:
“CLAIM: The judge in the Ghislaine Maxwell case issued a media-wide gag order over the trial with no livestream to keep scandalous details from leaking out to the public.
“THE FACTS: Members of the media were allowed to watch Maxwell’s trial. But federal courts do not allow cameras like some state courts do, and the discrepancy fueled confusion and conspiracy theories on social media.”
The Not Real News feature is usually published weekly and its December 31 edition began with the following item:
CLAIM: “NASA just hired 24 theologians to assess how the world would react if we discovered alien life.
“THE FACTS: NASA has not hired any theologians to study the potential reaction humans would have to the discovery of alien life.”
It then includes a detailed explanation of the possible origin of the false claim, a useful guide to allow readers to reach their own conclusions about the origin and veracity of the claim.
“We have no shortage of items that we can pick from to fill this feature,” Executive Editor Pace said in the CNN interview. “It’s been one of our most popular because people are craving this kind of clarity. They are in kind of a wind tunnel of information – it's coming at them from all sides. And it's hard for them to separate what is real and what is not. So this is a really simple way to deal with that – this is not real news and here’s why!”
Another major but relatively unknown news gathering organization with a fact checking service is Reuters with a staff of 2,500 in about 200 locations around the globe. It is a division of Thomson Corp., and it’s best known for its focus on business news but also covers many other topics.
Appearing in the recent CNN interview, Reuters Editor in Chief Alessandra Galloni said her organization is acutely aware of its role in helping readers spend their time wisely.
“We always try to cover what matters, what is consequential,” Galloni said. “Just because something is out there does not mean it's newsworthy, does not mean it adds to what we already know.
“We believe that news done well, trusted news, helps people make decisions, helps people lead their lives better. To do that you need to give them information that is important to them.”
Few would argue that the most important issue making daily headlines is the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also the one generating the most false, misleading and sometimes dangerous misinformation.
“Covid really showed us the importance of trusted information in this deluge of news,” Galloni said, “when it is a matter of life and death decisions. Sometimes it is [a] life and death decision – the difference between what is trusted and what is not trusted.”
Acknowledging that there is a “trust gap” in that a significant percentage of Americans do not believe legacy media reporting on disputed issues, Galloni said Reuters was addressing it in several ways: “You can do it internally and externally,” she explained. “Organizations such as ours go to great lengths internally to fact check our own information. That is true of the reporting that we do ourselves and increasingly it is true of user-generated content that we get from elsewhere. We put it through the same verification that we do our own stories – that is a big part of it.”
Another way is to provide a fact checking service, where false stories can be debunked and explained.
Reuters News has a fact-checking unit within its editorial department. The principal aim of this unit is to fact-check visual material and claims posted on social media. The fact checking producers in this unit report their findings at Reuters Fact Check with examples of false stories checked by major media outlet.
On Dec. 31, it reported on a perennial conspiracy theory that has been misleading people for decades.
“A video circulating online which purports to show leaked footage of the moon landings has duped people into thinking the iconic moment was faked. Rather, the clip melds authentic footage of lunar landings with segments of the 1979 fictional movie ‘Capricorn One.’ ”
Perhaps the most useful and widely used resource for finding truth is Fact Check.org a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
“We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases,” its web site says.
In its year-end wrap of what it calls the “whoppers of 2021” Our Most Popular Articles in 2021 it says “On the last day of the year, we look back at the most popular articles that we posted to our website in 2021.
“For the second consecutive year, COVID-19 tops our list. Seven of the 10 most popular articles were about the pandemic.”
The articles referenced provide a litany of the most misleading or deliberately false headlines that gained widespread currency during the year. Here is a sample:
The Wuhan Lab and the Gain-of-Function Disagreement
Magnet Videos Refuel Bogus Claim of Vaccine Microchips
Rittenhouse Testified He Drove Himself to Kenosha Without Weapon
Another way to use Fact Check is to pose a question to the editors yourself. On the web site is an email address for submitting your query, with the following advice:
“If possible, let us know where you first heard the claim. And if you are asking about a suspicious viral email or story circulating on social media, forward a complete copy to us.”
A list of resources for fact checking would not be complete without a mention of the granddaddy of them all Snopes, a non-profit, which describes itself this way: “We are the internet’s go-to source for discerning what is true and what is total nonsense. Before you scroll further, a few tips on how to “snopes”:
Search – Thousands upon thousands of fact checks and investigations live in our archive.
Discover – Browse the most popular or most recent content when you visit the Top Posts and What’s New pages.
Submit – Can’t find what you’re looking for? Send us a note. Your tip could be our next assignment.
As you get bombarded by the avalanche of fake news, misinformation and deliberate falsehoods that will undoubtedly flood your feeds during 2022, it may be helpful to bookmark some of the resources listed here. That is the intent of this article.
It is by no means exhaustive, but without some help ready at hand the task of distinguishing fact from fiction could be thoroughly exhausting.
There is one truism that might also help: find trustworthy sources that you know either through personal experience or referrals from others, and stick with them.
If you encounter something novel, approach it with a healthy skepticism: check first with a trusted source, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
In the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to check the truth of everything. The difference between fact and fiction could be a matter of life and death.
certainly food for thought, Warren.
For years my go-to website has been truthorfiction.com. I’m happy to know about others sources as well. Wonder if there is a way for that list to go viral. Maybe encourage people to create their email signature with the links.