New York Times Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd recently wrote a reflective piece titled “Requiem for the Newsroom.” The article is largely nostalgic but also touches on the unique and sometimes peculiar aspects of newsrooms. Reading it made me think about the intriguing stories, news tips, and correspondences that take place in newsrooms, and what might […]
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Isobelle Clarke, Lancaster University The scientific method is rigorous. Claims and premises are supported with evidence. The peer review system is designed to ensure that research is scrutinised by experts before publication. And whenever researchers lack certainty, they’ll emphasise that “further research is necessary” to land on the truth. Unfortunately, fake science websites are learning […]
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The information landscape in Africa – as elsewhere in the world – has expanded exponentially over the last decade. The proliferation of platform media, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, has been instrumental in this expansion. This has created important new debating spaces. These platforms have now become essential for political campaigns across the continent. In […]
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Over 50 journalists from radio, TV, print and online media in Uganda have completed a course on fact-checking. The virtual training which was held on 18, 19 and 20th August 2021, is part of the freedom of expression programme being implemented by the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), in partnership with the Ford Foundation. […]
Continue readingPeter Cunliffe-Jones, University of Westminster; Alan Finlay, University of the Witwatersrand, and Anya Schiffrin Misinformation, best understood as false or misleading information whether or not it was intended to mislead, has long been recognised as a problem worldwide. Together with disinformation, which is spread deliberately to misinform or mislead, it constitutes a key part of […]
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Image by Muhammad Ribkhan from Pixabay H. Colleen Sinclair, Mississippi State University The problem of misinformation isn’t going away. Internet platforms like Facebook and Twitter have taken some steps to curb its spread and say they are working on doing more. But no method yet introduced has been completely successful at removing all misleading […]
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Alana Schetzer, University of Melbourne The rapid spread of fake news can influence millions of people, impacting elections and financial markets. A study on the impact of fake news on the 2016 US presidential election, for instance, has found that fake news stories about Hillary Clinton was “very strongly linked” to the defection of voters […]
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Science journalism and investigative journalism which seek to pursue the truth rather than just the reporting of events, are critically important in this age of fake news and fallacies.
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