Evaluating Information in the Post-truth Era
(後真相時代的資訊辨識)
Alice Lee
Hong Kong Baptist University January 15, 2021
A Post-truth Era
• “Post-truth” is the 2016 International Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries
Defining “Post-truth”
Oxford Dictionaries:
• Post-truth is the circumstance in which
objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief
(訴諸情感及個人信念，較陳述客觀事實更 能影響輿論的情況。)
• Information overload
• Misinformation and fake news spread around
Rumor and Propaganda in History
• Neither false news, hidden advertising nor hate speech were invented in our time.
• What is new is the scope and therefore the danger these forces represent.
New Ecosystem of the Media and Information Environment
• Power shift: everyone is a prosumer
• Mobile phone: convenient for photo and video taking/ immediacy
• Social media & Instant Messaging: Affordances
• Persistence: the durability of expression and content
• Visibility
• Connectivity
• Spreadability/ sharable
• Searchability
• Echo Chamber Effect
• Advanced digital technologies
– AI: with the help of bots – (e.g., Twitter bots)
– Click farms – Deepfake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLYRb6VECbo
• Content farms
• 鏗鏘集: 「內容農場」
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMDJb37oyZ4
Types of Fake News & Misinformation
• Six major types of fake news
– Clickbait
– Propaganda – Satire/Parody
– Sloppy journalism – Misleading headings – Biased/slanted news
Truth vs. Post-Truth
(by Clement So, CUHK)
Truth Post-Truth
Facts Beliefs, emotions
Based on reality Unrestrained construction of reality
Science as basis Politics, vested interests
Objectivity as criteria Subjectivity, biased
Accuracy Mis-information, sensationalism
8
Mindset ( 處理資訊的心態)
• The Crisis of Trust
– The spread of digital technology, creating vast data trails with the latent potential to contradict public statements
– Too much information, too many controversies
– Digital technologies facilitate spread of conspiracy theories – An increasing skeptical citizenry
– Do not trust the government, journalists & professionals – Everyone has their own truth-tellers
– Questions of where to look, what to focus on and who to trust are ones that we increasingly seek to answer for ourselves, without the help of intermediaries
– Charge of bias not my perspective
• Value-driven Mindset
– Post-truth society: emotion > fact
Predisposition/ value takes over reality check (立場先行；雄辯勝事實)
– Endorse like-minded peers’ information (撐同溫層資訊) – Criticize/attack opposing views
• Fox TV Station criticizes CNN
– 盲目拒絕相信一切有害自己的資訊；盲目相信接受有利自己的資
訊
Evaluating Skills for News and
Information
1. News and Information Source
• Anonymous source?
• Official source?
• Reliable source?
– From unfamiliar organization, check their “about us” section to learn more
• A friend?
– Ask for your friend’s source
Understanding the background of the news organizations
Select Credible News Media
• What is a good news media organization?
– Implement the social functions of news media – Professional production and presentation with
good taste
(Truth, objectivity, fair and justice, not sensational)
Comparing different information sources
• Traditional newspaper
• TV & radio
• Online media (網媒)
• Citizen journalism
• Bloggers
• Social media and instant messaging apps
(最多假消息？)
• Others
2. Assess the Content and Look for Comprehensiveness & Bias
• Hyping
• Framing
Comparing the news angles; Separating opinions from facts
• How the story was told in different ways
Who’s point of view?
• What is the argument? What is the evidence?
The public opinion poll
Who conducts the poll?
Government
Media
Interest groups/
pressure groups
Business organizations
Academics
Research centers
How to evaluate it?
The name of the sponsor/ the name of the researcher
Purpose of the study
Dates of fieldwork
Universe or population to
which the results of the survey are projected
Method by which the sample was selected
Sample size
Response rate of the survey
Precision of the findings;
estimates of sampling error
3. Seeing is not Believing
• (photo: Annie Lab)
Verifying the photos
Online tools that help to verify the authenticity of a photo:
TinEye
https://tineye.com/
Google Search by Image
How to Use Google Reverse Image Search to Fact Check Images https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5e9wTdAulA
InVid – video verification
Live broadcasting
• Live streaming on social media, TV and websites
4. Sharing
• What is the source?
• If it is marked as “fact checked,” is there any supporting evidence?
• If it is stated as “reported by news media” (新聞有報), any news link? You should check the official news site.
• If there is a link provided, check the link. The information may come from a content farm or unknown website.
The Importance of Fact Check
Fact-checking Centers:
• International Fact-checking Network
• Africa Check
• Taiwan Factcheck Centre
• HKU: Annie Lab (Bookmarks on Coronavirus Misinformation)
• Kau Yim ( (求驗傳媒)
• HKBU FactCheck Service (浸大事實查核中心)
• Factcheck Lab (事實查核實驗室)
Tips for spotting false news (by Facebook)
• Be skeptical of headlines
• Look closely at the URL
• Investigate the source
• Watch for unusual formatting
• Consider the photos
• Inspect the dates
• Check the evidence
• Look at other reports
• Is the story a joke?
• Some stories are intentionally false
Mindsets and Information
Processing
Why you think you’re right, even when you’re wrong?
Soldier mindset VS Scout mindset
• Combat Soldiers:
– Regardless of the time and place – Their adrenaline is elevated
– Their actions stem from your deeply ingrained reflexes
– Reflexes that are rooted in a need to protect themselves and their side, and to defeat the enemy
• Scouts:
– Their job is not to attack or defend – It is to understand
– They are the people going out, mapping the terrain, identifying potential obstacles
– Wants to know what is really out there as accurately as possible
Motivated Reasoning: Combat Soldier Mindset
• A phenomenon in which our unconscious
motivations, desires and fears shape the way we interpret information.
• Some pieces of information feel like our allies
– we want them to win; we want to defend them
• Other information are the enemy
– We want to shoot them down
Scout Mindset
• The drive not to make one idea win and another lose
• Attempt to see the facts and evidence as objectively as you can
• To see what is there as honestly and accurately as you can even if it is not pretty, convenient or pleasant
• To cut through one’s own prejudices, biases and motivations
• They are less likely to say that someone who changes his mind seems weak
• Their self-worth as a person isn’t tied to how right or wrong they are about any particular topic
If we really want to improve our judgment as individual …
To use scout mindset
• To learn how to feel proud instead of ashamed when we notice we might have been wrong
about something
• To learn how to feel intrigued instead of
defensive when we encounter some information that contradicts our beliefs
• What do you most yearn for?
– To defend your own beliefs or to see the world as clearly as you possibly can?
Teach Kids to
Evaluate Informtaion
Awareness of Misinformation
• Scotland: National Literacy Trust
– Primary pupils were twice as likely not to be aware of fake news as secondary students
– They may “believe everything without questioning it.”
– Children lack confidence in their ability to identify fake news
Define Misinformion
• Explain that ‘fake news’ is news that is totally or partly made up.
– It’s not news that they disagree with
• Disinformation
• Misinformation
Where Does the Misinformation Come from?
Promote healthy skepticism, not unhealthy cynicism:
• YouTube
• Gaming sites
• Advertising
Consider the Source
• Teach them about reliable news sources
• Explain reliable news sources are outlets that employ experienced journalists, make an effort to verify
information, and is independent
• Encourage them to value and support quality journalism
• Should not trust anonymous source
• Encourage them to use alternative sources
• Look at dates
Encourage Investigation
• Maressa Brown:
– “Where am I getting this news from?”
– “What is the original source?”
– “Who say this” (investigate the author)
• Compare multiple sources to cross-reference
• Alert them that a post on social media site has thousands of likes does not mean it is offering reliable information; popularity is not equal to reliability
Beware of the Headlines
• What kind of emotion the headline gives you?
– scared, panic, angry, sad, exciting, ecstatic, sympathetic
• Attractive headlines?
• What kind of action suggested to take?
• Read the whole story, not just the headline
Sort Fact from Opinion
• Learn to spot clickbait
• Read the article, not just the headline
• Does something sound ridiculous?
Compare News Angles
• Read different media
• Find what else is being said about the topic
Check Photos
• See is not believing
• Fake photo, fake video
• Be aware of live broadcasting
Be Cautious about Sharing
• Check how reliable the information is before they share the message
• Encourage the kids to reflect on their motive of sharing
• Consider the consequence of sharing
• Be aware of echo chamber effect
Teach the students what to do when they see falsehoods shared online
• Don’t pass it
• Try to fact-check
• Visit reliable fact-check sites
• Ask your teachers or parents
Learn through Practice
• Through a case of fake news or
misinformation to discuss the impact of fake news with the students
• Ask the students to find cases of fake news and analyze them
• Ask them to interview their parents about fake news
• Encourage the students to talk about what they are doing and seeing online
Resources Online
• Fake news resources, teaching kids news https://teachingkidsnews.com/fakenews
• 傳媒素養教育資源網
https://mlearn.moe.gov.tw/
Thank you!
alicelee@hkbu.edu.hk
