Fake News & Misinformation: How to Spot and Verify

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