On News Literacy and Disinformation

How can you tell who to trust?

The news this past week about the Hamas attack on Israel has been horrific. Civilians have been targeted, and in the Israeli response Palestinian civilians have also died. Deaths are in the thousands, hostages have been taken, and more than a million people are being forced to leave their homes under the threat of more violence. Our souls hurt as we see and hear the reports.

As if that’s not hard enough news to process, multiple news organizations are reporting that disinformation in the form of videos from other places and times, and even clips from a video game, are appearing on social media saying they portray what is happening now.

"‘The violent content that is being pushed out across a range of different social media platforms as well as encrypted messaging apps is being used essentially to gloat, celebrate attacks, as well as ... to insinuate war crimes,’ said Moustafa Ayad, executive director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit that studies extremism,” according to an article by Shannon Bond of NPR.

I keep hearing people comment on how hard it is to know what to believe in the news. Plus, we’ve been flooded with prominent political figures’ refusal to accept the truth. In January 2017 we were introduced to the term “alternative facts” when our then-president claimed his inaugural crowd was the largest in history, regardless of the aerial photographic evidence that plainly showed otherwise. Since then, that same man has continually called any reporting on his wrongdoing or anything else he doesn’t like “fake news.”

It’s true that blatantly bad actors trying to manipulate public opinion can be found on all sides of any issue or conflict. But there are also responsible, well-trained journalists who work very hard to adhere to tried and true journalistic principles as they report and analyze current events, even risking their lives to do so.

How can news consumers – that’s you and me – tell the difference and evaluate news sources wisely instead of getting swamped in the miasma of information and disinformation we live in and either letting ourselves be led astray or cynically giving up?

First, let me say up front that while I seriously considered getting a journalism degree, I did not. The school newspaper was my extracurricular focus in school, and in midlife I worked on the copy desk of a local daily paper. I loved it. I highly respect journalists, but I don’t claim to be one. I do care deeply about truth, and I recognize that the responsibility of truth communication lies with both those who report it and those who receive it.

Second, let’s define terms. Misinformation is false or erroneous information that is shared with no intent to mislead. It’s just wrong. Disinformation, on the other hand, is false or erroneous and shared with the intent to mislead.

Rutgers University Library lists seven types of mis- and disinformation:

• Satire or Parody: No intention to cause harm, but it has the potential to fool. Parody and satire have a long history of serving a legitimate purpose in making a point. Or they can simply be entertaining. But they must be handled with care and not taken as factual.

• Misleading Content: Misleading use of information to frame an issue or individual.

• Imposter Content: Impersonates genuine sources.

• Fabricated Content: New content is 100% false, designed to deceive and do harm.

• False Connection: When headlines, visuals or captions don't support the content.

• False Context: When genuine content is shared with false contextual information.

• Manipulated Content: When genuine information or imagery is manipulated to deceive.

Reliable journalists work hard to verify their information, but they can make mistakes occasionally. Creating or sharing disinformation is not journalism—it’s spreading lies to manipulate, whether it’s aimed at an individual or a voting public.

Disinformation campaigns have been waged by adversaries of the US leading up to the 2016 election and ever since, including throughout the COVID pandemic and the 2020 election. They are now constant on social media and elsewhere with the goal of destabilizing us, destroying our trust in our government and each other, and creating doubt and cynicism about the very existence of truth.

In the face of serious world events as well as another national election cycle here, we must take news literacy seriously. “Voting is the defining act for a democracy. However, this action is only meaningful if public deliberation and decision-making are grounded in veritable and equitable information,” write the authors of a report on a study by researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy.

In other words, our freedoms require an informed electorate. The truth shall set—and keep—us free. Knowing what is true requires us to exercise discernment and think critically.

How to test the news

Here are some of the things I think about when I choose news to rely on.

Is the headline clickbait? If it’s loaded with inflammatory or emotionally laden words, it’s designed to get you to click so the site can grow its engagement numbers, which makes it more lucrative to its owners. Whole books have been written about the attention economy and how it cripples actual understanding of actual current events. When you encounter a headline that triggers your hackles, stop. Slow down. Think. If the headline sounds like trash-talk before a boxing match, don’t click on the story.  Likewise if the fonts and graphics look garish like a tabloid, turn away.

Can I check out the facts on other sites? On January 6, 2021, during the insurrection, I watched ABC, C-SPAN, and the Washington Post. During the height of the Covid pandemic, I followed the Colorado Department of Public Health, the Washington Post, and NPR. Just now, I checked reporting on Israel-Hamas war disinformation at The New York Times, NBC, and the BBC.

Who are the sources quoted in the article? Are they people who are involved in the event in some way? What are their job titles and experience? In other words, are they knowledgeable to speak on the issue at hand? What are their motives?

Do visuals accurately illustrate the data being reported? Using footage from a different conflict and claiming it is of the current war is a vivid example of imagery used to mislead. So are skewed graphs that make differences seem larger than they are. The University of Victoria has provided a list of ways and resources to check the accuracy of images used in news articles.

Is any potential or appearance of a conflict of interest disclosed? Example: When NPR has a story that involves a corporation or even a person who works there, they acknowledge within the story that the corporation is a sponsor but has no contact with or influence on editorial content.

Where is the news outlet on the Media Bias chart? I recommend this resource to help you know how factual and objective the reporting is that you are consuming.

These are just a sampling of ways to evaluate news sources. I also recommend you explore the following two sites as well as the other links in this article to learn more about the practices and ethics of responsible journalism.

The Poynter Institute: Founded in 1975, Poynter is a nonprofit that, according to its mission, “champions freedom of expression, civil dialogue and compelling journalism that helps citizens participate in healthy democracies. We prepare journalists worldwide to hold powerful people accountable and promote honest information in the marketplace of ideas.”

The Associated Press: from its website: “The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.” The (AP) in front of a news story means it comes from The Associated Press and was picked up and published by another outlet. This generally means the reporting is trustworthy.

Remember, as scary as the news can be, ignorance is even more dangerous. News literacy matters a great deal.