Digital news
The 2019 report on Digital News from the Reuters Institute is now available. It’s quite timely — for me, at least, because the next issue of Digital Education will feature some information about fake news. The report uses the term ‘misinformation’ rather than fake news; I suspect that it’s because not all misinformation is deliberate.
I haven’t had the chance to read the report (come on, I only received the email about it half an hour ago!), but it contains some interesting findings, such as:
Concern about misinformation and disinformation remains high despite efforts by platforms and publishers to build public confidence. In Brazil 85% agree with a statement that they are worried about what is real and fake on the internet. Concern is also high in the UK (70%) and US (67%), but much lower in Germany (38%) and the Netherlands (31%).
The smartphone continues to grow in importance for news, with two-thirds (66%) now using the device to access news weekly (+4pp). Mobile news aggregators like Apple News and Upday are becoming a more significant force. Apple News in the United States now reaches more iPhone users (27%) than the Washington Post (23%).
There are some interesting statistics as well about which media are best for breaking the news and which are best for explaining it. Also, subscription models: have they reached saturation point?
To download the report, go here: Digital News Report 2019 (pdf)
It is easy to believe that ‘fake news’ is a modern phenomenon, brought about by social media and promulgated by politicians. Yet as the British Library’s event, ‘Breaking the News’ exhibition demonstrated, fake news – or that unforgettable phrase ‘alternative facts’ – have been features of news reporting for at least 500 years.
I’ve compiled a number of reviews of non-fiction books that either deal with helping people detect untruths (such as in so-called scientific research) or presenting something as true when, in fact, it isn’t.
I like to try and give people the benefit of the doubt, but is that always the right approach? Ambrose Bierce defined a cynic as someone who sees things as they are, and not as they ought to be.
The following links were included in a recent issue of my newsletter, Digital Education.
On 14 October 2019 I reviewed Trust Me, I’m Lying. It’s a book about how bloggers and mainstream media can be manipulated. It’s pretty sobering stuff.
Don’t let the country-specific title put you off. This is a very useful (and readable) book.
Here are some interesting articles, plus guides on how to check news on the internet, including photos and videos. Plus classroom activities.
In TMIL, Holiday demonstrates how easy it is to manipulate the news. A must-read for teachers of media or digital literacy.
Newsguard is a service that rates websites for honesty, transparency and trustworthiness. It evaluates websites against several criteria, such as whether information is gathered and presented responsibly. A browser extension will enable you to see at a glance whether or a not a site they have evaluated is trustworthy.
Since mentioning that I am working on a special fake news edition of Digital Education, I have come across a few more brilliant resources.