The Guardian: "How to spot five of the fossil fuel industry’s biggest disinformation tactics"

"Amy Westervelt and Kyle Pope have covered climate disinformation for a combined 20-plus years – here’s their guide on how to decode it

Increasingly sophisticated and better-funded disinformation is making climate coverage trickier both for journalists to produce and for the public to fully understand and trust.

But telling the story, and understanding it, has never been more urgent with half of Earth’s population eligible to vote in elections that could decisively impact the world’s ability to act in time to stave off the worst of the climate crisis.

Swayed for 30 years by fossil fuel industry propaganda, the media has been as likely to unknowingly amplify falsehoods as they were to bat them down. It’s only in recent years that more journalists started to shy away from “both-sides-ing” the climate crisis – decades after scientists reached an overwhelming consensus on the scope of the problem and its causes."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/14/climate-disinformation-explainer?CMP=share_btn_url

‘Basically it’s a propaganda campaign.’ Composite: Getty Images, Guardian Design

The News Literacy Project breaks down 2023 in #misinformation to prepare for 2024

The News Literacy Project (@NewsLitProject) posted Tue, Dec 19, 2023:

"Our #TikTok video breaks down the year in #misinformation, with a #NewsLiteracy takeaway for each trend to help you stand up for facts in 2024."

"From cheapfakes to deepfakes, to misleading subtitles & more, here are 5 trends in misinfo that stood out in 2023: 1. AI falsehoods 2. Israel-Hamas war rumors 3. Musk, X & platforming misinfo 4. Subtitles & subterfuge  

5. Climate disinfo campaigns "

Watch / subscribe: https://t.co/GH2EqrHoKj

Shared from -> https://x.com/NewsLitProject/status/1737231268620951809

The News Literacy Project breaks down 2023 in #misinformation to prepare for 2024

News Literacy Project: "News literacy in the age of AI"

Via the News Literacy Project:  

"Chatbots like ChatGPT that are built on generative artificial intelligence technologies — a set of algorithms that can “generate” content based on a large dataset — have captured the world’s imagination. Reactions to this great leap forward have ranged from enthusiastic to alarmed.

This technology is evolving rapidly and to keep up we must understand its powers and perils. Generative AI can help us automate mundane tasks or supercharge our online searches, but it could also be weaponized to create and spread disinformation at a dizzying pace.

AI will impact the digital landscape in ways we have yet to imagine. But we do know that news literacy skills and knowledge — like checking your emotions before you share content, consulting multiple sources or doing a quick reverse image search — will be more vital than ever."

The News Literacy Project has compiled a set of resources to define AI and to help determine how to identify it. https://newslit.org/ai/

News Literacy Project: "News literacy in the age of AI"

Disinformation is real - "Latest disclosure includes claims that social media platforms detect false accounts only 1% of the time"

"Russia has increased the effectiveness of its disinformation campaigning on social media and boasts that vast amounts of fake accounts are escaping detection, according to a report on leaked US intelligence documents.

The latest material disclosed on the Discord chat platform contains claims by Russian operators of false social media accounts that they are detected by social media platforms only 1% of the time. The Russian disinformation network is known as Fabrika, according to the leak.

The claim was detailed in an analysis of Russia’s effectiveness at pushing propaganda on platforms including Twitter, TikTok, Telegram and YouTube. The document, seen by the Washington Post, is undated but refers to internet activity in late 2022 and appears to have been prepared by the US joint chiefs of staff, US Cyber Command and Europe Command, which directs US military activity in Europe."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/17/pentagon-leak-suggests-russia-honing-disinformation-drive-report

Disinformation is real - "Latest disclosure includes claims that social media platforms detect false accounts only 1% of the time"

HKS Misinformation Review: “Fake news” may have limited effects beyond increasing beliefs in false claims

Today's #recommendedreading is by @andyguess, @BrendanNyhan, @iBALyons, @Jacob_Montg, @JasonReifler & Dominique Lockett, on how many claims about the effects of exposure to #fakenews may be overstated, or, at the very least, misunderstood.

“Fake news” may have limited effects beyond increasing beliefs in false claims

"Since 2016, there has been an explosion of interest in misinformation and its role in elections. Research by news outlets, government agencies, and academics alike has shown that millions of Americans have been exposed to dubious political news online. However, relatively little research has focused on documenting the effects of consuming this content. Our results suggest that many claims about the effects of exposure to false news may be overstated, or, at the very least, misunderstood."

Continue reading the article ->   https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/fake-news-limited-effects-on-political-participation/
https://t.co/Hz2OY6nIqQ

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/MisinfoReview/status/1631273900716986379

https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/fake-news-limited-effects-on-political-participation/

Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections | Technology | The Guardian

"A team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media has been exposed in a new investigation.

The unit is run by Tal Hanan, a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative who now works privately using the pseudonym “Jorge”, and appears to have been working under the radar in elections in various countries for more than two decades.

He is being unmasked by an international consortium of journalists. Hanan and his unit, which uses the codename “Team Jorge”, have been exposed by undercover footage and documents leaked to the Guardian."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/revealed-disinformation-team-jorge-claim-meddling-elections-tal-hanan

Tal Hanan and his colleagues met reporters at an office in Modi’in, about 20 miles outside Tel Aviv. Photograph: Haaretz/TheMarker/Radio France

The News Literacy Project: 2 webinars scheduled on Public trust & Misinformation

(1) Jan. 23, 6pm ET: We regret the error: Public trust & media accountability

Audience: All invited
In-person (@PressClubDC, D.C.)
🔗 to register: https://t.co/HAReDQwdpS

Newsroom leaders discuss past mistakes & what they've learned to build greater trust with their audiences https://t.co/er1meLeEbq

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/NewsLitProject/status/1615399445813944320

We regret the error: Public trust & media accountability

(2) Jan. 26, 2pm ET: Your brain & misinformation: Why people believe lies & conspiracy theories (@APA)

Audience: All invited
Virtual 🔗 https://t.co/aBNaAG1oO9

Untangle the threads in our heads & hearts that can cause us to accept & spread falsehoods even when we should know better https://t.co/qJLttRxB03

Your brain & misinformation: Why people believe lies & conspiracy theories

GBH Forum Network: "Meme Wars: how the internet changed politics from Occupy to the insurrection"

GBH Forum Network (@GBHForumNetwork) tweeted

Just published! 👉 https://t.co/kXqZEphvrK  or https://forum-network.org/lectures/meme-wars-how-internet-changed-politics-occupy-insurrection/ 

A talk with @ShorensteinCtr @BostonJoan and @brianfriedberg moderated by @BostonGlobe @anissagardizy8 on meme wars and their impact on American democracy. https://t.co/w7BAfa3fe3

Shared from Twitter ->   https://twitter.com/GBHForumNetwork/status/1604964817072279582

COVID-19 Misinformation & New variants

"Nearly three years into the pandemic, Covid-19 remains stubbornly persistent. So, too, does misinformation about the virus.

As Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths rise in parts of the country, myths and misleading narratives continue to evolve and spread, exasperating overburdened doctors and evading content moderators.

What began in 2020 as rumors that cast doubt on the existence or seriousness of Covid quickly evolved into often outlandish claims about dangerous technology lurking in masks and the supposed miracle cures from unproven drugs, like ivermectin. Last year’s vaccine rollout fueled another wave of unfounded alarm. Now, in addition to all the claims still being bandied about, there are conspiracy theories about the long-term effects of the treatments, researchers say."

Continue reading the New York Times article online -> (subscription may be required)   https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/28/technology/covid-misinformation-online.html

"A new coronavirus variant named XBB has swiftly become the dominant form of COVID-19 spreading in the Northeast, jumping from about 35 percent of cases during the week ending Dec. 17 to just over half last week, according to CDC data.

The rapid spread indicates that the XBB variant is more adept than its predecessors at evading the immunity that comes from vaccines and infections.

“It looks like it’s just going to blow the other ones away in a very short period,” said Dr. Jeremy Luban, professor of molecular medicine, biochemistry, and molecular biotechnology at UMass Chan Medical School. “The most likely explanation is that it’s more transmissible.”

But significantly, Luban said, there is no reason to think that XBB causes more severe disease than other variants."

Continue reading the Boston Globe article online ->  (subscription may be required)  https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/28/metro/new-coronavirus-variant-more-adept-evading-immunity-now-dominates-northeast/

Jay Gates, a music teacher at the Samuel Adams Elementary School in East Boston got a COVID-19 booster shot in the school gym in early December. JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF

CommonWealth Magazine: "Time to come clean about COVID-19"

RATES OF COVID-19 vaccination in this country are too low. Less than half of those over 65 have received a second booster and ,among children under 5, the rate of vaccination with any dose is in the single digits. Uptake of the new bivalent booster is worryingly slow, with just 31 million Americans (10.1 percent of those eligible) having received it despite the Biden administration having ordered over 170 million doses. In a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only a third of adults said they had received the new booster or planned to. 

Perhaps we should have expected this for COVID. After all, these are novel vaccines that were developed and rolled out under highly politicized conditions. But childhood vaccination rates for other conditions, including influenza, polio, and measles, are dropping as well, suggesting that people who would have vaccinated their children in the past are starting to think differently about vaccines. In addition to being a critical public health concern, this represents a serious issue with trust in public health authorities and their messengers. And it is these “science communicators” who need to take ownership of their messaging failures and fix the problem before it is too late.

To be clear, misinformation surrounding vaccines has had a damaging impact on vaccine acceptance. Claims that have absolutely no basis in reality, such as the presence of microchips in the formula, or the ability of the vaccine to make you magnetic, somehow gained traction among a proportion of Americans who believe those lies. Certainly, there also was already a base of true “anti-vaxxers” – often naturopathy-inclined politically left-leaning people in the years before COVID-19 vaccines came on the scene, and primarily far right-wing followers of Donald Trump since COVID vaccines became available. 

But it cannot be true that the over 90 percent of parents of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years who haven’t opted into vaccination are anti-vaxxers, or even that they have fallen prey to nefarious misinformation spreaders. The messaging from public health authorities, government officials and doctors and scientists like us who speak to the media is simply not working. What could we do better?

Continue reading the article online at CommonWealth Magazine ->

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/time-to-come-clean-about-covid-19/ 

CommonWealth Magazine: "Time to come clean about COVID-19"

FTC to Explore Rulemaking to Combat Fake Reviews and Other Deceptive Endorsements

FTC to Explore Rulemaking to Combat Fake Reviews and Other Deceptive Endorsements Agency seeks comments on the harms and pervasiveness of fake and paid reviews, and other deceptive endorsement tactics The Federal Trade Commission announced today it is exploring a potential rule to combat deceptive or unfair review and endorsement practices, such as using fake reviews, suppressing negative reviews, and paying for positive reviews. View Press Release More news from the FTC

FTC to Explore Rulemaking to Combat Fake Reviews and Other Deceptive Endorsements

The News Literacy Project schedules 3 new webinars on how to spot misinformation

The News Literacy Project (@NewsLitProject) tweeted on Fri, Oct 14, 2022:

3️⃣ webinars, 3️⃣ skills you'll learn ⤵️. Our #Election2022 series begins 11/18. Learn more / register: https://t.co/BJW01v53ck

- Find reliable information about the election

- Spot misinfo & push back against it

- Have productive talks with people who have fallen for falsehoods https://t.co/UaGkwDVsiW

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/NewsLitProject/status/1580990652456013825

The News Literacy Project schedules new webinars on how to spot misinformation

Resist misinformation: Join the RumorGuard!

Stop falsehoods in their tracks.

The News Literacy Project has launched a new resource to help you stay informed and push back against misinformation: RumorGuard. RumorGuard empowers you to know what's safe to share and what should be stopped in its tracks. At RumorGuard.org, you'll see posts that debunk viral rumors, but we don't stop there: Our team lays out exactly how you can determine that a claim doesn't hold weight, based on five factors for credibility. Join the RumorGuard: Subscribe to receive emails about how you can help stop the spread of misinformation online. Each RumorGuard post takes you through the facts behind a specific viral rumor, then breaks down the five factors that you can use to verify any claim: Authenticity: Is it authentic? Source: Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source? Evidence: Is there evidence that proves the claim? Context: Is the context accurate? Reasoning: Is it based on solid reasoning? You can dig deeper into news literacy techniques on RumorGuard and take action for facts. Join the RumorGuard We built RumorGuard to give you the ability to debunk viral falsehoods, but it's also the foundation for our shared future founded on facts. Help us push back against misinformation by signing up and sharing RumorGuard posts with your family and friends. For a future founded on facts, The News Literacy Project

Support news literacy by donating today.

Stop and think about it Before you share it

"A Facebook post on the Franklin MA Virtual Yard Sale group has been brought to our attention alleging a potential child abduction yesterday. The Facebook post states the child ran away from the attempted abduction and the incident was reported to the police. This post had over 75 shares. After looking into the matter we can confidently say this post is a SCAM. No incident similar to this was reported to the FPD. The poster, Nobuhle Magutshwa, posted the same post on various Facebook groups all around the country. Other activity on her Facebook page is consistent with other social media scams. In the future, any urgent public safety matters like will be shared immediately by the FPD social media accounts."

Shared from Town of Franklin Police Dept Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/franklinmapolice/posts/pfbid0F7JUTp2qvp8phQNVEQuCPopFjGuFfWJLzaS5dFDVXyBBVc5GovHHhGTsCi8qyN3yl

Coincidentally, this type of post was covered in the recent session on "How to Spot Misinformation"

Misinformation & Fact checking resources

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/07/misinformation-fact-checking-resources.html

If you missed the session, you can take the MediaWise course on your own

https://www.poynter.org/shop/fact-checking/how-to-spot-misinformation-online-july-2021/

 

How to Spot Misinformation Online

Via The Marginalian: "The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Bullshit-Busting and Critical Thinking"

Maria Popova, creative genius behind "the marginalian" (previously "brain pickings") writes:

Carl Sagan (November 9, 1934–December 20, 1996) was many things — a cosmic sage, voracious reader, hopeless romantic, and brilliant philosopher. But above all, he endures as our era’s greatest patron saint of reason and critical thinking, a master of the vital balance between skepticism and openness. In The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (public library) — the same indispensable volume that gave us Sagan’s timeless meditation on science and spirituality, published mere months before his death in 1996 — Sagan shares his secret to upholding the rites of reason, even in the face of society’s most shameless untruths and outrageous propaganda.

In a chapter titled “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection,” Sagan reflects on the many types of deception to which we’re susceptible — from psychics to religious zealotry to paid product endorsements by scientists, which he held in especially low regard, noting that they “betray contempt for the intelligence of their customers” and “introduce an insidious corruption of popular attitudes about scientific objectivity."

Continue reading about Carl Sagan's rules for Bullshit-Busting and Critical Thinking ->  https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/01/03/baloney-detection-kit-carl-sagan/

The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Bullshit-Busting and Critical Thinking

This will also be referenced in the 2-session class scheduled for the Senior Center (and virtual) on how to detect misinformation online ->    https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/07/how-to-spot-misinformation-online-2.html

Nonprofit going after the online advertising revenue to stop disinformation online sets new target

An internet search result is provided free because the provider gets ad revenue from other sources. By following the money in the online advertising world, this nonprofit aims to take the advertising dollars out of the disinformation revenue streams.  

"A nonprofit aiming to defund disinformation online that has taken money out of the pockets of several prominent far-right websites now has its sights set on its most formidable target yet: Fox News. 

The group, Check My Ads, is hoping the success it has had in stripping advertising dollars from right-wing provocateurs including Steve Bannon, Glenn Beck and Dan Bongino will give it momentum as it attempts to confront a powerful media empire. 

On Thursday, the outfit announced a new campaign directed at Fox's website and its popular YouTube channel calling on the public to pressure online ad exchanges to stop doing business with Fox. It comes just as the House committee investigating the Capitol riots kicks off a series of hearings focused on violence that unfolded on Jan 6."

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103690822/group-aiming-to-defund-disinformation-tries-to-drain-fox-news-of-online-advertis

Check my Ads new campaign -> https://checkmyads.org/fox/

The video explanation on how they do this -> https://youtu.be/yHkf1wTOLLo

Claire Atkin (left) and Nandini Jammi founded the nonprofit group Check My Ads, which aims to defund disinformation online. Now, they have launched a campaigned aimed at Fox News' online empire. Jon McMorran

News Literacy Project --> a concise one-pager to better understand and avoid misinformation

"New from @NewsLitProject -- a concise one-pager with key insights, takeaways and reminders to help you and your loved ones better understand and avoid misinformation:

More about misinformation -> https://t.co/8UTBmli8NO 

One pager ->  https://t.co/3FyPn4Wg4a"

News Literacy Project --> a concise one-pager  to better understand and avoid misinformation

News literacy requires work on everyone's part, and that includes you

Via the News Literacy Project:

"2021 marked another year of rapidly spreading misinformation following breaking news events, from the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to the Biden presidency. Get ready for 2022 by reviewing our news literacy takeaways from the past 12 months. You’ll be prepared to recognize and debunk falsehoods, conspiracy theories and hoaxes in 2022, and know what information to trust, share and act on.

Science misinformation

No, vaccines don’t magnetize you, increase the risk of infertility, contain tracking devices, or cause cancer and HIV. But misinformation surrounding vaccines — along with other science-based topics like climate change — continued to deluge social media feeds throughout the year.

News literacy takeaway: Turn to credible, authoritative sources to confirm or debunk science-related content, such as NLP’s COVID-19 resources page or reputable institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And know that bad actors will even resort to cute cat videos as “engagement bait” to draw you to their sites and spread falsehoods."

Continue reading the article online

https://newslit.org/updates/2021-the-year-in-misinformation-news-literacy-takeaways/

Checkology is one of the resources available for news literacy awareness   https://get.checkology.org/

News literacy requires work on everyone's part

Boston Globe: "A local disinformation researcher breaks down what to know" and News Literacy Project provides guidance on what to do

"When does online disinformation cross a line from mostly innocuous to harmful to others? A Boston-based researcher who studies disinformation and misinformation sought to break it down in a chart that rocketed across the Internet last week, offering clarity to readers in an age when new conspiracy theories seem to pop up all the time.

The chart, which was retweeted more than 18,000 times, is organized to convey both an increasing detachment from reality and threat level, with the top grouping largely rooted in antisemitic views, its creator, Abbie Richards said. She emphasized that her design is “just one of many conspiracy theory frameworks.”

In the time since Richards first designed her framework for understanding conspiracies and conspiracy theories, monumental events like the 2020 presidential election had not yet taken place nor had the coronavirus pandemic become as deeply intertwined with daily life."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/29/metro/this-chart-conspiracy-theories-has-gone-viral-freebritney-qanon-local-disinformation-researcher-breaks-down-what-know/

The original tweet by Abbie with the updated chart

https://twitter.com/abbieasr/status/1462953203067240450

Conveniently, the News Literacy Project (https://twitter.com/NewsLitProject/) has an infographic on how to deal with someone on this misinformation front:

"How can you speak up to someone who's shared misinformation without starting a showdown or turning them off? Check out our infographic ⤵️

#NewsLiteracyNow https://t.co/MIvUQkmucg"

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/NewsLitProject/status/1465690193327968256

The 2021 version of the Conspiracy Chart.ABBIE RICHARDS

News Literacy Project infographic