EPCC Summer Program 2020- Evaluating Online Sources

• This section attempts to break down and explore aspects of misinformation and disinformation.

• Misinformation (noun): false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive.

• Disinformation (noun): false information which is intended to mislead, especially propaganda issued by a government organization to a rival power or the media.

• .Fake News (noun): 

(usually used with a singular verb)
1. false news stories, often of a sensational nature, created to be widely shared or distributed for the purpose of generating revenue, or promoting or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc.:
It’s impossible to avoid clickbait and fake news on social media.

2. a parody that presents current events or other news topics for humorous effect in an obviously satirical imitation of journalism:
The website publishes fake news that is hilarious and surprisingly insightful.

3. Sometimes Facetious. (used as a conversational tactic to dispute or discredit information that is perceived as hostile or unflattering):
The senator insisted that recent polls forecasting an election loss were just fake news.

Source: Fake News. 2019. Dictionary.com Retrieved from: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fake-news 

• Bias—a predisposition that prevents a fair, balanced judgment. Debaters often challenge an opponent’s evidence if they believe that the source is biased. Bias may result from self-interest (a teachers’ union is, of course, very likely to favor higher teacher salaries and larger school budgets; government officials will generally defend the policies they have enacted) or from consistent identification with a particular ideology (the Cato Institute, for instance, almost always advocates for smaller government). 

Source: Phillips, Leslie. (2016). Dictionary of Debate and Public Speaking. New York, NY: International Debate Education Association. P. 15. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=nlebk&AN=1081434&site=eds-live

• Native advertising: is a type of advertising, mostly online, that matches the form and function of the platform upon which it appears

• Clickbait: (on the Internet) content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page.