Misinformation and its effects on democracy
Misinformation & media literacy
- Source. Check the source. Is the news organization one you’ve heard about before? Misinformation can bear the trappings of respectability and sometimes mimic mainstream news organizations. For instance, NPR warns against URLs ending in “.com.co.” Reputable sites typically have an “About Us” page and a way to contact them.
- Credibility. Are the sources cited in the article credible? Do they come from a real, verified organization? Can you search the cited information and find actual studies, or other sources backing this information? Often, when one news organization is reporting on something, others are working on similar questions.
- Verifiability. Sites such as PolitiFact allow readers to submit misinformation online. A project of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, PolitiFact provides rigorous independent fact-checking.
You don’t have to live and breathe it; you don’t have to believe it either, but read a broad spectrum of outlets so you have a sense of what the entire news sphere is doing
Greg Bluestein, political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Peaceful transfer of power turned into a violent grab for control
Trust in Media Organizations
Showing your work to the public allows them to evaluate the work you’ve done. They may not like the finished product, but if you’ve shown them how you got to that place, you have built their trust.
Richard Griffiths, former vice president and senior editorial director at CNN.
It's up to us, as credible news sources, to use social media to educate people. Our job is to disseminate accurate information, and if there’s something out there that is not accurate, then it is our duty to right those wrongs.
Rose Scott, journalist and host of "Closer Look" on Atlanta's NPR station WABE.