The Week 2 Lesson has two parts, exploring types of digital information and sources and fake news and disinformation (CO3). One of the most important skills we learn as adults is information literacy and the ability to evaluate sources and recognize if these sources are accurate.

For this week’s forum, we are exploring websites that check information for bias, misinformation, and possible fake news misinformation. Go to the following websites and review the methodology they use to test information for accuracy.

Our Process at FactCheck.org

Methodology at Media Bias/Fact Check

• Transparency at Snopes.com

After you have looked over these websites and reviewed the methodology of each website, please answer the following:

• Which website do you find has the best way to review information for accuracy?

Do any of these websites have any gaps in their methodology?

• Why is it important for everyone to be able to evaluate information?

To add to the complexity of plagiarism, please review the apology from Snopes about the recent scandal at Snopes. 

Write 2 responses:

Student 1 (Corina)

I got to start this off with a little bit of humor. After reviewing each one of the sites, one can tell you which one is definitely the least recommended first.

 “>Methodology at Media Bias/Fact check was first of all making my computer run extra hard every-time I opened the link. Literally, I closed all tabs and re-opened each one again, still was making my computer breathe extra hard, while non of the other links did so. My computer was not having that link, its like it had a whole bunch of extra plugins running. Even after a restart and update, that link was not it haha. Anyways, besides that little inconvenience, its always a turn off anytime there is a subscription based organization. Why pay for what other sites provide for free just to remove ads that you put there purposely? The website in itself was very busy and was hard to take serious which shows true motive. That’s no different than the plethora of DIY blogs that provide recipes and how-to’s for homebased projects. Some are quiet and clean sites which reflect that they really are focused on getting the information to you, with little to no distractions. On the other hand, some have ad after ad after ad which shows while it may be good info, they are primarily looking to make a buck, which is a turn off if I can easily go somewhere else with the same information and I don’t have to exit a road block every 5 seconds just to read how to make homemade laundry detergent.

Other than that, the first sentence in the second paragraph in a way shows lack of confidence in making sure their information is The Truth. To say, ” When determining bias, there isn’t any true scientific formula that is 100% objective” almost seems kind of redundant and didn’t really make sense when I thought about it. They are literally saying, “when determining favoritism (feelings), there isn’t any true scientific formula that is 100% unbiased (unemotional). If that’s the case then no one would be able to tell the truth. No source would be able to just tell it like it is. To say such an absolute statement may not be smart because all it takes is that one site, one person to be able to leave the grey area out and tell a fact and keep it moving to be able to point out biasedness in a statement with no emotional attachment. Couldn’t really wrap my brain around that which set the tone for the rest of the site.

Now to Transparency at Snopes. It is nicer than Methodology, while they do have their ads, it is a bit more structured and able to follow along. But when they say, “they can’t describe any single method that applies to all of our fact-checking.” its not that they can’t, they just are choosing not to, because can’t is a subjective word. Which is yet another absolute statement. The only thing that seemed cool about Snopes is they are not just restricted to politics which shows openness to just about any topic. But on the flip side that also may not be a good thing because it’s better to have a focused niche than to be all over the place. It’s like going wherever the wind blows just to get more views/likes/follows.

Lastly, Our Process at Factcheck.org. This is the most put together site. Well organized. No distractions. And simply straight to the point. While the other sites don’t give directness towards their ways, Factcheck does. Which goes to show that all it takes is one example of something/someone to be able to keep things simple and be able to explain how and why they do what they do. It is clear and concise. While their topic is strictly politics, that is what allows them to have such a good focus on making sure they stay in that area of expertise and do it really well, rather than have a bunch of things they research and do it mediocre.

It’s important for everyone to be able to evaluate information to avoid being ignorant to what’s going on. To make sure you understand what it is that you are learning and how to apply it. Without being able to evaluate information, when it comes to making everyday choices it would essentially make it harder or rather take away a choice we could have if we understood more about a certain topic. It gives you more options when you are able to effectively analyze the knowledge around us to then be able to discern what to do with it accordingly to your situation. 

Student 2(Elizabeth)

Hi everyone,

This week’s discussion post is interesting to me since there’s so much information around us all the time, and many times we don’t know how accurate that information is, or where it’s coming from. So much is posted on social media sites daily, that honestly, I personally barely trust. They could get a statement from a friend of a friend, of a friend, and post it as if it were fact. With this said, I really enjoyed reading the articles on how information is fact checked on different sites. I found FactCheck.org to be the best fact checking site out of the three options given. It was the most thorough in my opinion. They rely on primary sources of information and have supporting material to show its accuracy. Their editing section alone has three different editors (line editing, copy editing, and fact-checking). I found Sopes.com to be pretty vague in their accuracy and fact checking. They even mention how they can’t describe any single method that applies to all their fact checking. Though I do think they fact check and do their research, they should come up with at least general steps they take on fact checking, so the public can see, and trust their site. It is important for everyone to be able to evaluate information because there’s just so much of it all over the internet, and we cannot believe everything that is out there is true.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

-Liz