Showing posts with label facts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facts. Show all posts

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Resist misinformation: Join the RumorGuard!


Stop falsehoods in their tracks.
Join the RumorGuard

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:

 
1 Authenticity: Is it authentic?
2 Source: Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source?
3 Evidence: Is there evidence that proves the claim?
4 Context: Is the context accurate?
5 Reasoning: Is it based on solid reasoning?
 

You can dig deeper into news literacy techniques on RumorGuard and take action for facts.

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.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Misinformation & fact checking resources

The "How to Spot Misinformation" sessions at the Senior Center went well. Aside from some tech issues the material was covered and folks should have tools to help them determine how valid the info they find is.

You can download the handout I prepared with additional resources

You can also download this misinformation infographic from the News Literacy Project  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vRVUZ9bM1HhSeNN8lGHfAUIJ5_DvqZm2/view?usp=sharing

Misinformation & fact checking resources
Misinformation & fact checking resources

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

How to Spot Misinformation Online - Self-directed course, free, start anytime

Attention seniors (but anyone who wants to know really!) 

"This free short course from MediaWise for Seniors will teach you how to tell what’s true and false on the internet. By looking at examples of political, health, travel and climate misinformation, you will learn techniques for identifying false information and how to seek out trustworthy sources.

Christiane Amanpour, Joan Lunden, Lester Holt, Hari Sreenivasan and Dave Jorgenson — MediaWise Ambassadors — will also pop in to share their advice as experienced journalists to help you navigate information on platforms like Google, Facebook and more."
You can register for a Poynter account, then register for the free course.

How to Spot Misinformation Online - Self-directed course, free, start anytime
How to Spot Misinformation Online - Self-directed course, free, start anytime

This is not the only course available via MediaWise for Seniors 

Friday, January 7, 2022

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Fact check: "The Southwest Airlines mess and rumors of a vaccine walkout"

"What are you going to believe: Official statements or social media?

The Southwest Airlines cancellations over the weekend are a good example of how news travels on two different tracks today.

In the part of the United States that relies on traditional media, rumors that the cancellations were the result of a pilot protest over coronavirus vaccine mandates were dismissed because, well, there was no evidence. Official entities, such as the airline, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Southwest pilots union, all issued statements saying the rumors were false."
Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/13/southwest-airlines-snafu-rumors-vaccine-walkout/

Fact check: "The Southwest Airlines mess and rumors of a vaccine walkout"
Fact check: "The Southwest Airlines mess and rumors of a vaccine walkout" (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg)


Friday, May 7, 2021

Community Relations Subcommittee Meeting - May 11

 Community Relations Subcommittee Meeting

Virtual Meeting (Link in agenda)


Agenda
  • Budget Flyer / Video distribution
  • Generate ideas to support two-way communication within community


Agenda doc also contains connection info

Community Relations Subcommittee Meeting - May 11
Community Relations Subcommittee Meeting - May 11


Monday, May 3, 2021

Schools budget up for review at the Finance Committee budget hearing May 4

The 4th and final of the budget hearings for FY 2022 held by the Finance Committee is scheduled for May 4.

  • May 4 Agenda = Schools (Franklin K-12, Tri-County, Norfolk Aggie)

 https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/_2021-05-04_finance_committee_agenda_.pdf

 

Additional details on the FY 2022 budget can be found
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/pages/fy-22-budget-materials
 
Additional details on the Franklin School district budget can be found
 
The Franklin School Committee fact sheet for FY 2020  https://drive.google.com/file/d/154tNXBolLLkq4kPlMwr4mjfp4XgNnUvq/view?usp=sharing 

 

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Social Security Admin: New Fact Sheets Added to Your Online Statement


Social Security Matters
   
 

04/01/2021 03:00 PM EDT

Your Social Security Statement, available on my Social Security, tells you how much you or your family can expect to receive in disability, survivor, and retirement benefits. We've added new fact sheets to accompany the online Statement. These new fact sheets provide clarity and useful information, based on your age group and earnings situation. They […]
Social Security Matters

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

The News Literacy Project - webinar for Seniors on fact-checking - Mar 31, 1:00 PM


Older adults — join us & @OlderAdultsTech / @seniorplanet Weds, Mar 31 (1 PM ET) for the 3rd in our series of #NewsLiteracy webinars, this one on fact-checking & digital verification. Gain skills to stick to the facts!

Sign up / spread the word —> https://t.co/KAJmRSxPje

cc: @AARP
https://twitter.com/NewsLitProject/status/1376969389233278977?

The News Literacy Project - webinar for Seniors on fact-checking - Mar 31, 1:00 PM
The News Literacy Project - webinar for Seniors on fact-checking - Mar 31, 1:00 PM


Saturday, February 6, 2021

CommonWealth Magazine: "Baker stands up vaccine call center"

 

"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER unveiled a 500-person call center on Friday to help residents 75 and older book appointments to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The center is intended to assist those without internet access or those having trouble navigating the current two-step process, which requires using a state website to find vaccine locations near them and then going to websites for those locations to actually book an appointment. The call center, reached by dialing 2-1-1 and selecting the option for help making a vaccine appointment, will handle the booking process for the individual or put them on a call-back list if no appointments are available.

The service will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with representatives who speak both English and Spanish. Translators for over 100 other languages will also be available upon request."

Continue reading the article online
 
Gov Baker's press conference = https://youtu.be/u04KusqT2FI
 

 

One of the new Public Service Announcements (PSA's) on "Trust the Facts. Get the Vax." video link = https://youtu.be/ieT9k83bDaA


 

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Washington Post: "Fact-checking Trump’s lies is essential. It’s also increasingly fruitless"

From The Washington Post, an article of interest for Franklin:
Daniel Dale met President Trump’s convention speech with a tirade of truth Thursday night — a tour de force of fact-checking that left CNN anchor Anderson Cooper looking slightly stunned.

The cable network’s resident fact-checker motored through at least 21 falsehoods and misstatements he had found in Trump’s 70-minute speech, breathlessly debunking them at such a pace that when he finished, Cooper, looking bemused, paused for a moment and then deadpanned, “Oh, that’s it?”

So, so much was simply wrong. Claims about the border wall, about drug prices, about unemployment, about his response to the pandemic, about rival Joe Biden’s supposed desire to defund the police (which Biden has said he opposes).

Dale is a national treasure, imported last year from the Toronto Star, where he won accolades for bravely tackling the Sisyphean task of fact-checking Trump. My skilled colleagues of The Washington Post Fact-Checker team, who recently published a whole book on the president’s lies, have similarly done their best to hold back the tide of Trumpian falsehoods.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

Friday, July 17, 2020

Unsupported = "fact-checkers opted to say there was 'no evidence'"

From the Poynter Institute we share this article:
Public data is the raw material with which fact-checkers work every day. Without it, the credibility of rating information as false — without being able to show the reasoning behind the decision — is weakened, no matter how obviously false the content seems. But there is a way to navigate this, even if data is not accessible. 
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when conspiracy theories and misinformation related to vaccines, thermometers, and miraculous prevention methods are gaining steam on social media, the fact-checking community has found a simple – and honest – way to say something is probably not 100% true. 
Fact-checkers are posting articles with intermediary rating labels such as “unsupported” and “no evidence” to alert audiences to highly dubious content. 
In the list of more than 7,800 fact-checks published by the CoronaVirusFacts alliance (http://poy.nu/alliancedatabase), the collaborative project that since January brings together 99 fact-checking organizations from around the world, there are at least 107 articles in which fact-checkers opted to say there was “no evidence” regarding the truthfulness of a certain piece of information rather than flagging it as completely “false”. One-third of these checks were produced in the last two months.

Continue reading the article online
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2020/unsupported-a-powerful-rating-to-flag-covid-19-conspiracy-theories/

Franklin radar picked up via Twitter
https://twitter.com/Poynter/status/1283774388483940353?s=09

Unsupported = "fact-checkers opted to say there was 'no evidence'"
Unsupported = "fact-checkers opted to say there was 'no evidence'"

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Census Bureau News Profile America Facts for Features: Halloween - 2019




Registered United States Census Bureau Logo

Halloween: Oct. 31, 2019

Census Bureau News Profile America Facts for Features: Halloween - 2019
PROFILE AMERICA FACTS FOR FEATURES: CB19-FF.08
Dating back 2,000 years to the Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween is an ancient tradition associated with images of witches, ghosts and vampires. Today, Halloween has evolved into a celebration characterized by child-friendly activities like trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, and dressing in costumes.
The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau's surveys. We appreciate the public's cooperation as we continuously measure America's people, places and economy. 
Trick or Treat!
The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2018 — children ages 5 to 14. Source: 2018 Population Estimates, Table PEPASR6H
The number of potential stops for trick-or-treaters to occupied housing units for the 2nd quarter of 2019. Source: Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Table 8
The number of housing units where trick-or-treaters had to climb steps in order to fill their bags full of candy in 2017. Source: 2017 American Housing Survey
The percentage of U.S. households who think their neighborhood has a lot of petty crime. Source: 2017 American Housing Survey
Hauntingly Delicious Economic Statistics
The number U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2016. Sources: 2016 County Business Patterns, NAICS 311351, 311352
The number of U.S. confectionary and nut stores that sold candy and other confectionary products in 2016. Source: 2016 County Business Patterns, NAICS 445292
The number of formal wear and costume rental establishments in the United States in 2016. Source: 2016 County Business Patterns, NAICS 532220
Spooky Places
Tombstone, Ariz. (estimated population 1,300)
Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. (estimated population 10,057)
Kill Devil Hills, N.C. (estimated population 7,202)
Yellville, Ark. (estimated population 1,170)
Transylvania County, N.C. (estimated population 34,215)
Slaughter Beach, Del. (estimated population 232)
Casper, Wyo. (estimated population 57,461)
Scarville, Iowa (estimated population 70)


This is an official email from the U.S. Census Bureau. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us (http://www.census.gov/about/contact-us.html).

Sunday, September 14, 2014

"How not to be ignorant about the world"

The TED Talk by Hans and Ola Rosling has a provocative title. It may be just me but I would have said "How to better informed about the world." And maybe that is why I am doing what I do and not presenting something like this.

Regular readers know that what we are about here at Franklin Matters is sharing information and creating a fact-based understanding about what is happening in Franklin. We focus on the business side of things but do spend time in related matters.

At one point in the talk Hans says:
"You see, the problem is not that people don't read and listen to the media. The problem is that the media doesn't know themselves."
What we do here is not 'traditional media'. I use "we" deliberately. You contribute as much to this site as I do. Your questions, your information, your corrections all help to drive what is shared here. It may be my name on most of the regular posts. It may be Renata's name on the weekly summary of events. But is is YOU behind the scenes feeding us the info and questions.

Towards the end of the talk Ola (Hans' son) says:
"If you have a fact-based worldview of today, you might have a chance to understand what's coming next in the future."
Thank you! Please continue to read, comment, share and ask question. Together we can become more informed about Franklin or as Hans would say "not ignorant!"

The video runs about 18 minutes so settle in and enjoy!





You can find this Ted Talk on the official Ted page here
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_and_ola_rosling_how_not_to_be_ignorant_about_the_world/transcript?language=en

Other TED Talks by Hans Rosling can be found on his profile page
http://www.ted.com/speakers/hans_rosling

Hans Rosling - TED bio page
Hans Rosling - TED bio page


Note: as mentioned previously, if someone has interest to follow and report on Franklin committee meetings, feel free to reach out to me. I can help you with the technical details.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Franklin Facts: tax burden

Tax burden: Your property taxes fund less than half the Town budget – the rest comes from state aid and other sources. Our tax burden, defined as average property tax bill divided by median family income, ranks 26th out of 30 comparable towns. This means that in only four of those 30 peer towns do the residents contribute less of their income in the form of property taxes to support their town than do the residents of Franklin.

---------------

The special election on June 8th gives Franklin voters the choice:



  • Increase taxes to continue to provide the services we have this year (and that does not restore any of the services already cut) 
Or


  • Continue to cut municipal services for all and cut educational opportunities for our children

I'll help to provide the information. You need to do two things:


  1. Make your choice
  2. Vote on June 8th

You get bonus points if you talk with your neighbors about this and get them to vote!



Additional information on the override can be found here:
http://investinfranklin.weebly.com/index.html

http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-page/

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/budget-override-collection-fy-2011.html


Franklin, MA