Fake News & Media Bias

 Fake News & Media Bias

The President of the United States has brought a lot of attention to "Fake News" recently, but what is it and where does it come from? In this section, we will explore the recent explosion of fake news and allegations of media bias.

Fake News.png

Free illustration: Fake, Fake News, Media, Laptop - Free Image on Pixabay - 1903774 Links to an external site.

 

Laptop Definitions

Fake News: "Fake news is, quite simply, news Links to an external site. (“material reported in a newspaper or news periodical or on a newscast”) that is fake Links to an external site. (“false, counterfeit”)."1 
Bias: "Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair."2
Media Bias: "is the bias or perceived bias of journalists Links to an external site. and news producers Links to an external site. within the mass media Links to an external site. in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered."3

 

Laptop Media Bias

The purpose of this course is not to persuade or promote one media source over another, but to critically analyze the media we absorb by considering the source of the information and possibility of bias. The problem with trying to study media bias is that anyone can claim anything is biased if it does not conform to their own perspective. 

Bias comes in many forms. The most common forms of bias include: reporting on one issue or person instead of another; reporting on preferred political or ideological issues; or bias may appear in the presentation, or tone, either for or against a person or issue.2

Is news biased if you don't agree with it? Is everything reported by [insert your favorite/least favorite news organization here] true/untrue?

 

Laptop Fake News

Where Americans get their News
As a teacher, you may be in a position (especially in upper elementary through high school) to ask students to write and document their sources. Certainly, as a college graduate, you are familiar with the process, no matter what you teach. You know that not every source is reliable. The same applies to the sources of news in America.

More people than ever get their news online. According to the Pew Research Center, about 38% of Americans often get their news online, with almost 50% of adults, ages 19-49, getting theirs from Internet sources.2 While another study found that 62% of Americans get news on social media, with Facebook leading the way with 67% of Americans using the site and 66% of those users getting news from the site.3 If you've ever used Facebook, it's hard to imagine how someone could avoid getting news from it!

Social media news use: Facebook leads the pack

"News Use Across Social Media Platforms ...."1

So where is all this news coming from? Follow this link and watch the video (13:09) Links to an external site. about a huge source of fake news that peaked during the 2016 election. (You can also watch the video on CNN.com Links to an external site..) As you watch the video, consider the motivation of the fake news producers. Consider the source of the news story (CNN). Can you find bias in the reporting?

Edit: At the time of this page creation, we are learning about Russian involvement in fake news creation during 2016 the election. There may be updates to this page.

 

1 "How Is 'Fake News' Defined, and When Will It Be Added to the ...." https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-real-story-of-fake-news Links to an external site.. Accessed 18 Sep. 2017.
2 "bias | Definition of bias in English by Oxford Dictionaries." https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bias Links to an external site.. Accessed 18 Sep. 2017.
3 "Media bias - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias Links to an external site.. Accessed 18 Sep. 2017.

1 21 Oct. 2014, http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/ Links to an external site.. Accessed 19 Sep. 2017. Used with permission Links to an external site.
2 "Media bias - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Accessed 18 Sep. 2017.

1 26 May. 2016, http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/ Links to an external site.Accessed 19 Sep. 2017.
Used with permission Links to an external site. 
2 "How Americans get their news | Pew ...." 7 Jul. 2016, http://www.journalism.org/2016/07/07/pathways-to-news/ Links to an external site.. Accessed 18 Sep. 2017.
3 "News Use Across Social Media Platforms ...." 26 May. 2016, http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/ Links to an external site.. Accessed 18 Sep. 2017.