In Cooke’s (2017) article, she discusses the Internet’s saturation of information. Cooke (2017) claims that we live in a post-truth era: “in which audiences are more likely to believe information that appeals to emotions or existing personal beliefs” than credible and objective information. She argues that social media causes the “rapidity of dissemination of information” (Cooke 2017) and facilitates filter bubbles in which confirmation bias, selective exposure, and selective information seeking is prominent. In short, Cooke (2017) attributes satisficing, spin, counterknowledge, misinformation, disinformation, and encompassing information behavior to the spread and consumption of fabricated news. Cooke (2017) offers a solution: “be open minded, …show more content…
He claims that “fact checking must be done as a public good,” though it continues to remain futile to post-truthers and alt-posters: an audience who only readily consume information that reinforces their predetermined thoughts and opinions. The author emphasizes the importance of fact checking and its relevance and purposefulness to be shared and documented. As well, Bergel (2017) references a quote by Moynihan to set up his next argument: “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts,” and counters that alt-posters believe they are entitled to their own facts. The author explains the theatrics of fake news as weaponized and overused by pervasive politics. Bergel (2017) concludes with a call to action: “we must get more creative with information technology and online delivery systems” to develop and facilitate an accessible process to seek true …show more content…
Cooke’s (2017) “Post-truth, Truthiness, and Alternative Facts: Information Behavior and Critical Information Consumption for a New Age” provided a surplus of information behaviors that contribute to the influence of fabricated news and post-truths. She thoroughly and concisely explained foreign terms, which I found to be easily-understood especially for an audience who is newer to this subject. Specifically, Cooke exhibited proficiency in brevity when it came to explanations and descriptions: “satisficing is selecting information that is “good enough” to satisfy basic needs,” (Case and Given 2016), spin “paints a false picture of reality by bending facts, mischaracterizing the words of others, ignoring or denying crucial evidence, or just ‘spinning a yarn,’ by making things up” (Jackson and Jamieson 2007). As well, Cooke (2017) manages to compile a lot of different works and references from credibly authors, which can be noted from the latter example. Evidently, her work is incredibly
Many websites are known for being radically one-sided in their news coverage. In “The Things People Say” Kolbert says that left-leaning readers know, for example, that if they go to the Huffington Post or to AlterNet they will find stories that support their view of the world. Right-leaning readers know to go to the Drudge Report or to Newsmax to find stories that fit their preconceptions. This issue is all throughout social media as well. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. you will find this biased information. A lot of times, we click and read things that gravitate towards our thinking and shun the rest of the information that does not. In this sense we become secular to opinions that strengthen our own and disregard all
In his essay, “The Good, The Bad, and The Daily Show,” Jason Zinser explores the vices and virtues of so-called “fake” news programs. “Fake” news, as Zinser explains, are those programs that blend newsworthy events with comedy. By examining The Daily Show, Zinser reveals both positive and negative impacts that “fake” news could have on society. As a result, Zinser concludes that there are benefits as well as potential problems with “fake” news programs but insists that the true challenge is determining the net impact on society. The essay, which first appeared in The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen and the Art of Fake News in 2007, challenges experts on both sides of the argument who either claim fake news is for entertainment only or that fake news is an acceptable source for information on current events. On one hand, Zinser uses expert testimonies to support his argument that the end result is a better informed public but on the other, he makes logical arguments enhanced by examples to illustrate the potential impacts “fake” news can have on its viewers and mainstream media.
In today's modern world, different types of mediums are used to get information across quickly. The days of waiting for three days or more for information are long gone. We can access news right from our fingertips! We’re able to view videos to tell us what’s happening, look at photos, or read pieces of text. However, sometimes the information we’re getting can be bias or taken out of context. And sometimes, twisting someone's words to get your point across can have nasty consequences.
Large American media conglomerates have been growing increasingly polarized on the political spectrum, each network presenting information and reporting on stories using angles that benefit the political party that they support (Prior). Most notably, Fox News is infamous for being a partisan news channel that strongly supports the conservative Republican Party, despite the fact that its motto is “fair and balanced” (“Fox News.”). According to a New York Times editorial, “[Fox News’] claim to be fair and balanced is no more than a knowing wink to its audience, and has no higher master than the dollar” (Crossman). For example, in 2012, during the presidential election, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity blatantly lied to his audience, claiming that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had stated that if President Barack Obama won a second term, “[t]axes [would] go up 30 percent” (Uwimana). In reality, the CBO report had merely been talking about fiscal bills that were in effect at the time, and had not mentioned anything about President Obama (Uwimana). However, Hannity still falsified information in order to support his own conservative agenda. Such political polarization in the media leads to a public that is increasingly misinformed. Further exacerbating the problem, Fox News often stages debates over facts rather than over opposing viewpoints (Scherer). There have been numerous occasions in which Hannity and other anchors have called into question the legitimacy of the scientific consensus on global warming (Rudman). By calling the legitimacy and reality of such facts into question, Fox News casts doubt on scientifically established principles such as climate change, and on other important facts that could potentially help clarify the true nature of
As the mind matures and grows, new opinions are formed with the help of the revolutionizing consciousness of humanity. The human conscious allows humanity to develop individually and gain unique cognitive patterns and thinking processes. However, these opinions can be manipulated by environmental sources, like the media. The media’s puppet strings can be used to influence the minds of the masses and control their overall thinking process. It takes away an individual’s freedom to think for themselves and form their own opinions. Manipulation is a key ingredient in attaining support for a side of an argument. News networks have this ability to twist the minds of their listeners and unconsciously force them to believe in their words. Two of the
Through manipulation and lies, media manages to modify objective news into biased news in order to convince the public of what the media wants them to believe. The article, “How the Media Twist the News”, by Sheila Gribben Liaugminas discusses the major influence that news has on readers based on their choice of stories and words. “How the Media Twists the News” has borrowed from multiple other texts such as the books like Public Opinion and Liberty and News, news magazine writers such as Ruderman, and news networks like CBS through Bias, A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News and CNN to make her arguments valid and prove that the news is biased and that it does influence readers significantly because of it.
The media takes a biased approach on the news that they cover, giving their audience an incomplete view of what had actually happened in a story. Most people believe that they are not “being propagandized or being in some way manipulated” into thinking a certain way or hearing certain “truths” told by their favorite media outlets (Greenwald 827). In reality, everyone is susceptible to suggestion as emphasized in the article “Limiting Democracy: The American Media’s World View, and Ours.” The
The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person’s fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting the information out correctly at the first publishing by taking the time to make sure all facts are checked. The importance of having a system of checks on all information submitted is paramount. People trust what they read and believe it to be so without always questioning. If all information were to not be checked thoroughly, there would be instances where people read an article only for information included to be wrong and they go on believing such information. This can be very dangerous as misinformed people make misinformed decisions. With an increase in errors being made by citizen bloggers and even major publications, many are worried that journalistic ethics and credibility in the news media are being sacrificed in order to maintain swiftness in the news circuit and to retain personal profits. Though getting information to the masses quickly is a major part of the media’s importance, this should not mean that the credibility of that information being presented should be sacrificed for it...
Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...
Social media is a revolutionary way to connect with friends and family through a single app, much like Facebook. Also allowing the public to be more informed on current events, whether that is an issue in today’s society, all the way to a heartwarming story or a funny video. This sounds amazing and the fact that this type of news outlet is practically new. An issue arises that involves “fake news” and with that comes many opinions on what to do about it. I believe that people browsing these platforms should have a little bit of skepticism behind each story and if the topic truly intrigues someone then they should look into the topic on a reliable resource before passing on the authors misinformation.
1 - We live in a post-truth world; real truth has become unimportant or irrelevant. Social media has become the trusted news source. We live in a digital age where there is so much information around us, so many differing views of what is true. It is hard for some to determine truth, often confused rather than informed. 2 – Truth does exist, it does matter, and it can be recognized.
Consequently, potentially misinformed citizens may not be able to make a properly informed voting decision. With the recent Canadian Federal Election, there has been a wide range of biased, misinformed posts on social media. These posts often tend to lead to heated discussions and debate. By interpreting the accuracy of the information portrayed, as well as the context of the situation, including personal opinion, we can develop an understanding of the use of rhetoric and discourse by individuals in regards to the political debate.
Real data from the media makes the public more secure with what’s going on in the world. People want to know the truth and that’s what they deserve. False data doesn’t give the public the information they need. “Fake news...
The importance of truth, or lack thereof, is an important issue that comes into play with everyone’s life and their moral values. In their lifetime, everyone expresses opinions on matters that they feel strongly about. When they do so, they do it with what they feel is up to their moral standards; truth is not always prevalent in these standards. While some believe truth to be of no importance in these statements, others believe the contrary. When a piece of news or a person is talked about by others with statements of truth, the subject’s reputation is never tarnished unjustly. However, when spoken of spuriously, the subject can fall victim to unmerited smear. Today, there are more methods one might use to promote the spread of false
The purpose of journalism is to report a story accurately; simply to tell it like it is. Over the past two decades, with increased tension over political and religious ideologies, the media’s original purpose is being lost. Yes, being well-informed remains an asset in the world today. Our now, globally-focused world will always value knowledge and awareness. With the television, internet, newspaper- all mediums of entertainment- available at the snap of a finger, we have non-stop access to news. One problem with this is the blatant bias of news networks. Every news source has a bias. Viewers typically recognize the platform of the major sources, therefore deterring them from certain networks. When reporters feed viewers the same opinion through different stories, the viewer isn’t getting a balanced intake in terms of overall understanding. In today’s society, viewers are truly at the mercy of what those in authority provide. Think of George Orwell’s 1984 where the all-powerful “Big Brother,” through “The Party” oversees every little piece of information that passes through the telescreen (along with everything that passes by the telescreen on the other end.) The citizens of Oceania are essentially clueless to the truth because they have no access to it. The television: typically a source of entertainment, transformed itself into an instrument for controlling. Yes, the modern technology is