Fake News & Misinformation: How to Spot and Verify

From the bestselling author of Suspicious MindsThere was a time when the news came once a day, in the morning newspaper. A time when the only way to see what was happening around the world was to catch the latest newsreel at the movies.Times have changed. Now we're inundated. The news is no longer confined to a radio in the living room, or to a nightly half-hour timeslot on the television. Pundits pontificate on news networks 24 hours a day. We carrythe news with us, getting instant alerts about events around the globe. Yet despite this unprecedented abundance of information, it seems increasingly difficult to know what's true and what's not.In Bad News, Rob Brotherton delves into the psychology of news, reviewing how the latest research can help navigate this supposedly post-truth world. Ebook Central. Requires STLCC email to access.

As news media has moved past the requirement of using established, trusted sources, and as the cry of "fake news" is used for both false sources and facts that people dislike, it has become more difficult to know what to trust. With this informative book, readers will learn what clues and signs to watch for when reading, watching, or listening to news media. Useful tips will help them figure out when to look deeper on social media. Intriguing facts provide perspective to help them learn more about the role of the free press in society. Ebook Central. Requires STLCC email to access.

Although news outlets are meant to be impartial, they have never been perfectly unbiased. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the term "fake news" became part of everyday vocabulary, adding to the public's mistrust of the media. In today's society, learning how to cultivate media literacy by spotting unreliable sources and biased reporting is crucial. This volume explores the fake news phenomenon and offers readers tips on how to be critical of what they see reported. Full-color photographs, annotated quotes, engaging sidebars, and discussion questions enhance the compelling narrative as it explores this crucial aspect of a democratic society. Ebook Central. Requires STLCC email to access.

Since the 2016 presidential election, the term "fake news" has entered the cultural lexicon. People of all ages find it difficult to separate reliable sources from misinformation. Similarly, it can be difficult to discern unbiased journalism from propaganda. This must-have resource looks at the rise of misinformation and the ease with which it now spreads. Through examples from the United States and democracies around the world, this book encourages readers to question the balance between constitutional rights and irreparable damage to democracy. Ebook Central. Requires STLCC email to access.

How the new conspiracists are undermining democracy--and what can be done about it Conspiracy theories are as old as politics. But conspiracists today have introduced something new--conspiracy without theory. And the new conspiracism has moved from the fringes to the heart of government with the election of Donald Trump. In A Lot of People Are Saying, Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum show how the new conspiracism differs from classic conspiracy theory, how it undermines democracy, and what needs to be done to resist it. Ebook Central. Requires STLCC email to access.

Through his research, Schwartz uncovered new information about the familiar story of Orson Welles's 1938 CBS Mercury Theatre radio play broadcast of H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds. He recounts in detail how the production was developed and organized by Welles and the panic it caused initially to listeners when the play was interrupted by news broadcasts that Martians had landed in New Jersey. This in fact was "fake news" and a part of the play. Did the broadcast actually result in people panicking across the US, as was reported in major newspaper headlines the next day? In his research of the Welles archives at the University of Michigan, Schwartz had access to original notes and letters sent to CBS, Welles, and the FCC following the broadcast.

The Internet has become a conduit for conspiracy theories and a Pandora's box of hoaxes, outrageous tales, and fake news items. Atlanta attorney Collins casts an analytical eye over a wide spectrum of subjects, from alien astrology and Atlantis to the Flat Earth Society, Holocaust denials, and the 9/11 attacks. "Always be skeptical of information lacking in significant details," warns Collins.

Contents: Introduction to Media Literacy -- Keys to Interpreting Media Messages. Process ; Historical context ; Cultural context ; Structure ; Framework ; Production elements ; Worksheet: Keys to interpreting media messages. -- Media Formats. Journalism ; Advertising ; American political communications ; Digital media communications. -- Issues and Outcomes. Issues in media communication ; Outcomes.

"The ten essays in this interdisciplinary collection explore the issues engendered by the popularity of entertainment news, including the role of satire in politics, the declining level of trust in traditional sources of media, the shows' cathartic or informational function, and the ways in which these shows influence public opinion"--Provided by publisher.

The author takes "us deep into the Internet information jungle and [cuts] a path through the trickery, fakery, and cyber skullduggery that the online world enables. Taking on everything from breaking news coverage and online dating to program trading and that eccentric and unreliable source that is Wikipedia, Seife arms his readers with actual tools--or weapons--for discerning truth from fiction online."

Contents: Introduction: if it's on the internet, it must be true / Anne P. Mintz -- Social media and intentional misinformation / Meg Smith -- They know where you live : guarding your privacy and identity / Cynthia Hetherington -- Demonizing the "other" / Eli Edwards -- Ebuyer beware / Ben Fractenberg -- Information warfare and cybersecurity / Deborah A. Liptak -- The intentional misleading of the American public : political misinformation / Laura Gordon-Murnane -- Charity scams