Evaluating sources
Here's a presidential-sized example of our ongoing issues of critical thinking skills and evaluating sources. Read and comment. How can people avoid being susceptible to such fake news?
Your thoughtful response, due by 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, is worth 20 points.
Here's the link; if it doesn't work, please read below:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/business/media/trump-fake-news.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/business/media/trump-fake-news.html
10 Times Trump Spread Fake News
He has used false claims to attack his political opponents, question the legitimacy and loyalty of the Obama administration and other Democrats, and undermine the news media, the federal government and other institutions that many of his supporters do not trust.
The practice has paralleled his rise from reality TV star to holder of the nation’s highest elected office, according to an analysis of his social media activity.
When discussing some of his claims, Mr. Trump has cited as evidence articles posted through Breitbart News, manipulated YouTube videos and celebrity gossip publications like The National Enquirer.
Mr. Trump has also tweeted links from right-wing blogs like WND.com and TheRightScoop.com that often promote sensational conspiracy theories and contain little original reporting.
His sourcing highlights the bounty of misinformation accessible on the web and its power in a deeply divided America — especially when endorsed by someone of Mr. Trump’s influence and visibility.
He offered this explanation for his actions while discussing an altered YouTube video he had tweeted as part of an unsubstantiated claim that a protester at one of his rallies had ties to the Islamic State: “I don’t know what they made up; all I can do is play what’s there,” Mr. Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“All I know is what’s on the internet.”
Below are examples from the last several years of Mr. Trump’s penchant for making fraudulent claims and backing them up with information gleaned from unsubstantiated sources.
The practice has paralleled his rise from reality TV star to holder of the nation’s highest elected office, according to an analysis of his social media activity.
When discussing some of his claims, Mr. Trump has cited as evidence articles posted through Breitbart News, manipulated YouTube videos and celebrity gossip publications like The National Enquirer.
Mr. Trump has also tweeted links from right-wing blogs like WND.com and TheRightScoop.com that often promote sensational conspiracy theories and contain little original reporting.
His sourcing highlights the bounty of misinformation accessible on the web and its power in a deeply divided America — especially when endorsed by someone of Mr. Trump’s influence and visibility.
He offered this explanation for his actions while discussing an altered YouTube video he had tweeted as part of an unsubstantiated claim that a protester at one of his rallies had ties to the Islamic State: “I don’t know what they made up; all I can do is play what’s there,” Mr. Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“All I know is what’s on the internet.”
Below are examples from the last several years of Mr. Trump’s penchant for making fraudulent claims and backing them up with information gleaned from unsubstantiated sources.
- The Affordable Care Act and ‘Death Panels’
ObamaCare does indeed ration care. Seniors are now restricted to “comfort care” instead of brain surgery. Repeal now! http://bit.ly/spcorH
9:13 AM - 28 Nov 2011
In November 2011, Mr. Trump proclaimed that the Affordable Care Act would “ration care,” linking to an article on TheRightScoop.com. The story cited an anonymous caller’s comments on a conservative radio talk show as proof the act established so-called death panels that would determine whether or not elderly patients received care.
The notion of death panels was deemed the “Lie of the Year” in 2009 by the fact-checking website Politifact, which traced its rise to comments made by Sarah Palin on Facebook. The additional claims in the story Mr. Trump shared were debunked by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Department of Health and Human Services, according to Snopes, another fact-checking website. - President Obama’s Holiday Message
What a convenient mistake: @BarackObama issued a statement for Kwanza but failed to issue one for Christmas. http://bit.ly/vUmvpM
Mr. Trump took to Twitter to share a story from TheGatewayPundit.com, a conservative blog, which falsely claimed that Mr. Obama had issued a statement for “the fake holiday” Kwanzaa but not for Christmas. (Mr. Obama’s Christian faith has been questioned by political opponents; some have sought to assail the legitimacy of his presidency by falsely claiming he is a Muslim.) After the political blog Talking Points Memo refuted the story, Mr. Trump shared it again on Twitter, starting his post with “I’m right, TPM is wrong.”
President Obama and his wife wished Americans a “merry Christmas” on Dec. 24, 2011, in a video address shared on Twitter, YouTube and the White House website. Earlier that month, Mr. Obama said he hoped Americans had “the merriest of Christmases,” as his family lit the National Christmas Tree in front of the White House, - Birtherism
An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that @BarackObama’s birth certificate is a fraud.
In March 2011, Mr. Trump started raising questions about President Obama’s birthplace and birth certificate on television, on shows that included ABC’s “The View” and NBC’s “Today.” The notion had been debunked and pushed to the realm of conspiracy theorists after Mr. Obama released his short-form birth certificate from the Hawaii Department of Health in 2008.
Mr. Trump also promoted his claims through Twitter, citing “an ‘extremely credible source’” that called his office and allegedly told him the certificate was a fraud, as well as linking to posts on blogs like WND.com and FreedomOutpost.com. While Mr. Trump was roundly denounced for continuing to push the conspiracy theory, it solidified his connection to the largely white Republican base that was so instrumental in his election victory in November. - Secret Oil Deal to Control Gas PricesMr. Trump has also made claims without supporting material of any kind. He once shared political views through a YouTube video series, “From The Desk Of Donald Trump,” sounding off on the Republican Party and Mr. Obama, but also on topics as varied as Andy Roddick’s talent and the state of the desk itself. (“Many people have been asking about my desk and the fact that I have so many papers on my desk,” it began.) He tweeted links to the posts with the hashtag #trumpvlog throughout 2011 and 2012.
In April 2012, Mr. Trump posted a segment in which he said, “I have no doubt in my mind that President Obama made a deal with the Saudis to flood the markets with oil before the election so he can at least keep it down a little bit.”
He added: “After the election it’s going to be a mess. You’re going to see numbers like you’ve never seen if he wins.” He repeated this allegation about a secret deal on CNBC in June of that year, which Fox published under the headline “Trump: Obama’s Secret Saudi Oil Deal to Win Re-election.” - Linking Autism to Vaccinations
Autism rates through the roof–why doesn’t the Obama administration do something about doctor-inflicted autism. We lose nothing to try.
9:19 AM - 22 Oct 2012
Starting in 2012, Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed his personal belief that autism is linked to childhood vaccinations, saying it in interviews, on Twitter, and even during a Republican debate.
On the show “Fox & Friends” in April 2012, Mr. Trump was asked about the rising number of children with autism diagnoses and said, “I have a theory and it’s a theory that some people believe in, and that’s the vaccinations.” Later in the segment, one host noted most doctors disagree and that studies do not show a link, which Mr. Trump acknowledged, adding, “It’s also very controversial to even say, but I couldn’t care less.” He said he had seen changes in children firsthand to support his belief.
Plenty of studies, including a recent one that involved almost 100,000 children, have shownthere is no scientific evidence linking vaccinations to autism, and that there is no benefit to delaying vaccinations. Instead, children who are not vaccinated on the regular schedule can be at risk for infectious diseases for a longer period. One doctor told Scientific American that “misinformation on the internet often frightens parents away from following” the vaccination schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the only one endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2015, a measles outbreak in California, which started at Disneyland, was partly attributed to diseases spread by children who were not vaccinated.
In October 2012, Mr. Trump took to Twitter to ask why President Obama’s administration was not intervening. He then wrote in March 2014, “If I were President I would push for proper vaccinations but would not allow one time massive shots that a small child cannot take - AUTISM.” - Questioning Unemployment Data
The underemployment being quoted as 14.9% is way low–real number could be 20%.
Think of it—20% of our country is essentially unemployed.
In November 2013, Mr. Trump, on Twitter, linked to a column from The New York Post headlined, “Census ‘faked’ 2012 election jobs report.” The story was quickly criticized by The Columbia Journalism Review for “turning a nugget of news into a blockbuster conspiracy exposé.” It noted that the column was largely premised on the misbehavior of a worker who left the Census Bureau in 2011, well before the election.
In December 2014, Mr. Trump tweeted a story from WND.com, a conspiracy-minded conservative site, with the headline “Donald Trump: Obama’s Jobless Figures ‘Phony.’ Economists agree.” The story cited comments Mr. Trump made on “Fox & Friends” alleging that the actual unemployment rate was almost 18 percent, an estimate supported by John Williams, an independent economist who has a newsletter called “Shadow Government Statistics.” It says says it “exposes and analyzes flaws in current U.S. government economic data and reporting.”
Mr. Williams, in the WND story, estimated November unemployment at 23 percent. Trump later repeated that figure during a campaign speech at Liberty University in January 2016, a number The Washington Post showed to be false. - President Obama and the Boston Marathon Bombing
Obama’s $1T+ deficit budget expanded welfare & green cronyism & it cut domestic bomb prevention in half http://bit.ly/XRjmcP
Mr. Trump shared a link from TheRightScoop.com on Twitter, claiming the president’s budget “cut domestic bomb prevention in half.” The post relied on a story from The Daily Mail, which based its claim on an estimate from a former official at the Department of Homeland Security who resigned in 2005.
Separately, Mr. Trump tweeted, “Is the Boston killer eligible for Obama Care to bring him back to health?” He went on to circulate a post based entirely on that tweet from Newsbusters.org, a blog from the Media Research Center, which states its goal as “documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.” Outside of the fact that federal law requires any patient requiring emergency treatment to be treated regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, the attack occurred in Massachusetts, where the health insurance program under Mitt Romney served as a model for the Affordable Care Act. - Ted Cruz’s FatherMr. Trump made comments in a Fox News interview last May accusing Senator Ted Cruz’s father of associating with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Mr. Trump’s remarks — made on the day of the Republican primary in Indiana — came after The National Enquirer claimed it had photographic proof that Mr. Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, was “palling around” with Mr. Oswald before the shooting. Mr. Cruz’s campaign called that report error-filled and condemned Mr. Trump for campaigning “on false tabloid garbage.”
The fact-checking website Politifact noted that “several historians of the period told us they’ve never seen Cruz’s name come up in connection with Oswald.” - Protester Was Member of ISIS
USSS did an excellent job stopping the maniac running to the stage. He has ties to ISIS. Should be in jail! https://amp.twimg.com/v/977860d3-6b1b-4a5f-a81e-67baa6e2e3b1 …?ssr=true
Mr. Trump claimed at a rally last year that a man who charged him at another event was linked to the Islamic State, yet no government agency suggested the man was connected to ISIS or terrorism. He repeated the allegation in a tweet, linking to a video that claimed to show the man. It was overlaid with Arabic text and music and appeared to have been created as a hoax.
When asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about the lack of evidence tying the man to ISIS and the video hoax, Mr. Trump did not seem deterred.
“He was dragging a flag along the ground and he was playing a certain type of music and supposedly there was chatter about ISIS,” he responded. “What do I know about it?” - Voter Fraud
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally
After winning the presidential election but losing the popular vote, Mr. Trump took to Twitter to claim that he actually received more votes than Mrs. Clinton “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” The notion was popularized by Infowars, a website replete with conspiracy theories that include questioning the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The overwhelming consensus from people who oversaw the general election in states around the country was that the amount of voter fraud in 2016 was next to none.
By analyzing your sources for credibility a person can easily lower their chances of getting "fake news." Donald Trump has tweeted "altered videos" and used sources that were obviously not reliable such as gossip and conspiracy websites to back up his claims. If Trump were to check out his sources he may somehow lower his ego eventually realizing that he was actually the one in the wrong. People can easily be mislead by news because it seems reliable and true, but until the news has come from a reliable news source or a reliable person involved with the statements there is no way to avoid fake news. All people have to do is check their source before they wreck themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe easiest way to be less susceptible to fake news is to do your research. If a claim cannot be corroborated with other sources, seems a little "too" fanciful, or is just plain outlandish, then people reading or hearing it should just do a little bit of digging into the matter. Truth is often just a Google search or a different article away. If people would draw on multiple sources rather than just accepting the first thing they hear as fact, "fake news" would not have nearly the impact it does.
ReplyDeleteThe first step that a person can take to be less susceptible to such news, is to be skeptical. Too many times people fall for this sort of thing because they saw one article on Facebook and decided that it must be true as it's the only source of information on whatever the topic is that they saw that day. Which leads to the next solution: doing research. Loads of uneducated news readers could solve their rapid belief of incredulous news if they took and extra five minutes at the very least and found another source or two on the topic. Finally, a good rule of thumb is: if something seems a bit too good to be true or fantastical, it probably is....though it never hurts to read further into it
ReplyDeleteFalling prey to fake news seems to be increasingly popular as the days go by. I believe that in the days of our society the main problem with accepting fake news is that people want things to be done for them. To prevent fake news from invading one’s life, further personal investigation of the problem or news at hand must take place. Also, there should be a little alarm that goes off in our heads telling us when something sounds either too good, bad, or just plain wrong. Becoming familiar with this alarm will reduce the amount of fake news that we follow down a bad trail.
ReplyDeleteThe easiest way to avoid falling victim to fake news is to do your research on the topic being discussed. Google it. If you can't find any other sources to back the claim , then a person should automatically suspect it as being "fake." That really is all there is to it. One shouldn't take something at just face value. Another way is to utilize credible, established sources. An article released by CNN should hold more value than article found on Facebook that's written by some unknown, unheard of site. Moral of the story is that not everyone can distinguish between what is real news and what is fake news, but the truth of the matter is that it is so simple to do so. All someone really has to do is read and research.
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ReplyDeleteTo avoid fake news people need to learn to fact check information. Everything that appears on Facebook or Twitter isn't true. Simply by crosschecking the information with multiple reliable sources. Information on a .org, .net, or a .gov are much more reliable than a .com website. Checking the possible fake news across reliable sources like these can help avoid falling victim to false information.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a way to avoid seeing and hearing about fake news because it is everywhere, but there is a way to know the difference between fake news and real news. To avoid fake new people need to do your own research on the website you are receiving information from. Not all websites are reliable and fall in the category of fake news. It seems to be very popular now days to see fake news on all types of social media and is very misleading. Double checking your sources and reading news from many different sites is the best way to avoid getting lead on by false information.
ReplyDeleteKennadi Harris
ReplyDeletePeople can avoid falling suspect to fake news by first and foremost questioning the sources credibility. In nearly all of Trump's sources in this article were from unofficial and often fraudulent news sources. To make sure your source is legit, trust news sources that hire professionally trained journalist and known to give good quality news such as New York Times, Washington Post, etc. Also, pay attention to the writer of the information. If a chef writes a piece on a new scientific discover I would be hesitant to believe it. However, if an affiliate of NASA says a meteorite will soon hit Earth, I would pay more attention to that. You can also avoid fake news by doing your own research to see if you can find the same information from multiple places.
Ryan Bradford
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to avoid fake news is to stick to legitimate news networks which is becoming difficult due to Trump's comments against legitimate news networks. Claims made by individuals should be fact checked before you pass along the information as truth. So long as you stick to credible news outlets like the Washington Post, New York Times, and Huffington Post to name a few. I don't know how to fix the problem of people who don't trust those news sources. They just stick to news that confirms beliefs they already have. I just hope that if we keep disproving illegitimate news sources then we can eventually have everyone agreeing on what is true.
The best way for people to avoid fake news, in my opinion, is to stick to receiving their news/current events information from only the most credible and reliable news sources. Whether it's print, web, mobile, or however else they get their news there are multiple sources for people to go to for reliable information. The best choice is probably to pay attention to the newspapers, and watch some TV on the "real" channels that we can trust. It also never hurts to do some research yourself to find out if a story is fake, just judging by whether or not you find similar credible information online from multiple other sources that can back up the story.
ReplyDeleteThere are several ways to make sure your sources are reliable. Factchecking against legitimate big name news sources are the most important. You also need to examine the evidence the source provides and if that evidence appears anywhere else. The best sources should be objective, so the information is not skewed to an opinion, that doesn't mean a source can't support an opinion. It is also important for sources to be updated recently.
ReplyDeleteFake news will always exist, no matter what anyone tries to do to put a stop to it. Fake news will always find a way to anyone, but there are several methods people can use in order to avoid being found susceptible to this fake news. For example, it's always a good idea for people to fact check news that they are watching, reading, or listening to, especially if that news seems particularly incredulous. No matter if it seems like accurate information or not, it's always good to do research on your own: if not to be sure that it isn't fake news, then to simply be accurately and completely informed on a certain topic. Also, it's a very good idea to stick with widely known as reliable news sources. These news sources are typically widely accredited for a reason, as they usually have educated and experienced workers, and have had to build up years of credibility, so that their reliability is not very questionable.
ReplyDeleteIt is almost unbelievable that the president has not only tried to spread fake news and make fraudulent statements once, but actually has done this on several different occasions. One way to avoid being found susceptible to fake news is to do research! I'm not talking about sitting down for hours and reading tons of books. What I mean is, instead of reading one article or watching just one news headline and running with it, actually take the time to read several articles on the topic from different sources. This is also a way to look for credibility and find reliable sources. Often times these credible sources are well known. I know with social media, it is easy for people to believe everything they see a person tweet. Especially when the president seems to tweet all day everyday, but we must not forget that we cannot fall for fake news. We must depend on credible sources and continue to do our own searching and research.
ReplyDeleteFake news in everywhere, but there are ways to get around it. Fact checking is the easiest thing you can do when it comes to seeing or hearing about "fake news". By simply google searching the information, you can avoid falling victim to the world of fake news. Majority of the time the things you read on social media outlets are not true, so checking with credible sources that can back up the information is important.
ReplyDeleteI think the first thing a person can do is ask themselves is this logical. most times Fake news is easy to point out because it is so fare from the truth. when making sure that news is real I think its important to check sources. Analyzing sources will give you knowledge about where the information is coming from and that can help a person make out if the news is fake or real. credibility is always important when fake news is possibly being reported.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a pretty simple solution in avoiding being susceptible to fake news and that is fact-checking! Be sure to do your own research of information you hear or see on the news rather than running with it and informing others of something that may not be true. It is the exact same thing as rumors and gossip - don't go spreading something you heard, even if the information seems juicy, especially if the source is unreliable. Do your own research and form your own opinion regarding the situation! Although on paper this seems to be a simple solution, it is hard when our own president is setting the example of spreading fake news (and calling real news fake news when it doesn't promote him). It is important to surround yourself with multiple news sources to ensure you aren't feeding yourself false information.
ReplyDeleteTo not be susceptible to fake news you have to stay clear of what you hear from people's mouth and most of social media. If you read or hear about something major then you should take further action and do some more research before jumping the gun. Checking reliable sources like fox news and cnn would your best bet especially for Trump. Being informed is crucial for times like this.
ReplyDeleteIn order to avoid falling prey to fake news, one should be able to look up news and do their research. Check with more than one site or source to make sure each source your checking is credible and trustworthy. Real news is way more obvious than fake news, but if youre not sure, you should double check different sites to back up the news story in question.
ReplyDeleteYou can find fake news just by logging onto one of your social media apps. Facebook is probably the worst of them all. Most of the news on Facebook is more than likely going to be fake news. Check your sources. If you can't find anything else on that particular topic, it's probably fake. President Trump knows society is susceptible to fake news and he uses it to his advantage. We need to be extra careful and not believe everything we see online.
ReplyDeleteIt's very easy to avoid falling into fake news if you put critical thought or even common sense to what you see. Don't rely on articles shared by crazy Uncle Rick from the "God Emperor Trump" Facebook page, for one thing. Don't rely on any source from Facebook unless it's just a social media arm of an actual news source. Getting news solely from social media is one reason why fake news has spread so much. People need to look beyond articles shared from sites such as "cnn.com.de" or "trumpismylordandsavior.webs.com" (I'm not sure that second one is real, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was). Look beyond clickbait articles WITH ALL CAPS that mention stuff YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE that Trump or whoever is doing. Stick with the tried and true mainstream sources. If you don't want news from the other political side, fine, stick with Fox, stick with CNN. The solution is simple, just think about what you're looking at. Trump is disseminating the "news" that fits his bias and that his generally gullible army of Facebook grandmas and crazy uncles will be empowered by. All you have to do to avoid believing it is think about what your looking at through the lens of common sense and critical thought.
ReplyDeleteHow can people avoid being susceptible to such fake news? Well for one, don't listen to these lunatics on the internet. Don't listen to Donald Trump. Trump is essentially your curmudgeonly grandpa who's starting to lose it and believes every story he reads on facebook. He is the oldest that any U.S. president has ever been at the beginning of their presidency.
ReplyDeleteut to say that Trump is the problem when it comes to fake news is misguided. Trump is only symptom of the problem. Does he make things worse? Of course. But the real culprit is the internet, which has given everybody the ability to spew whatever nonsense they want and call it whatever they want people to think it is. In this case: "journalism."
How do we avoid it? Well, I don't know if we can anymore. The best way I can say, is to only listen to sources you trust, but for some people the sources they trust are the ones that agree with their crazy birtherism conspiracies or racial misconceptions. The sources that I trust personally are well-established institutions like the Washington Post and New York Times, as well as television news, like CNN. I trust these sources because they seemed to serve us well for all these years before we started believing everything we read on the internet.
Some would say that these are the sources of fake news; that they are corrupt and have been feeding us lies for as long as you can imagine, and that only with the advent of the internet and these small right-wing nutjob 'news' sources, has the real truth been revealed to us.
Now has the government lied to us? oh yeah. Have traditional news sources reported things that were untrue? probably. It is good to be skeptical sometimes, but we must have faith in something, right? The problem is that now, people have placed their faith in the hands of anonymous, unchecked minds on the internet. Faceless persons with no credentials, but with a sensational idea that could maybe possibly be true, if it benefits them or their ideology.
And now one of those schmucks who believes these internet-equipped nobodies is leading our country, and I don't see fake news going anywhere anytime soon.
We are divided by faiths. It's the same thing that has been happening for all human history, but faith is not exclusive to religion anymore, and I don't think it ever was.
It can sometimes be hard to avoid running into fake news. It is disheartening that our president would be the one to spread such news. The best way to avoid it would be to stick to legit news sources such as news shows, newspapers, magazines, etc. People will also be able to decipher the difference between real and fake news if they are educated on each. It is important as a news consumer to always use common sense and to trust your instinct in regards to the things that you read/hear about.
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