Please note that the link in this assignment is now restricted and you will not be able to reach it. We will discuss the article in class.
Most Students Don’t Know When News Is Fake
Street Law-Mr. Tim Johnson
NAME: _______________________________________________ BLOCK: _____________________
Work in a share pair or small group as the class considers the issues of “fake news.”
Teens absorb social media news without considering the source. (Watch the video from this site below)https://www.wsj.com/articles/most-students-dont-know-when-news-is-fake-stanford-study-finds-1479752576
Fake news, and the proliferation of raw opinion that passes for news, is creating confusion, punching holes in what is true, causing a kind of fun-house effect that leaves the reader doubting everything, including real news. Answer the following 3 questions based on your discussions with partners.
• What does the phrase “fake news” mean?
• When have you or someone you know fallen for or shared fake or inaccurate news of some kind?
• Why does it matter if we can’t tell real news from fake news?
Discuss what this cartoon means then write down a general opinion from your group on how this reflects our current state of media coverage.
WHY ATTRACTIVE CANDIDATES WIN ELECTIONS
From an internet article posted by a college grad student. Read and highlight or underline key points, then answer in a paragraph the question that follows.
JOHN F. KENNEDY, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Kirsten Gillibrand: Americans have a long history of electing good-looking leaders. Of course, not every successful candidate could be a stand-in for George Clooney or Angelina Jolie. Indeed, sometimes a less attractive candidate triumphs over a better-looking rival. So when and why do voters prefer more attractive politicians?
Scientists had previously theorized that the general preference for attractive leaders was just another example of a “halo effect.” In other words, we attribute all kinds of positive characteristics to attractive people, and this tendency leads to more votes for politicians who look like Hollywood stars.
But our work challenges this traditional view. We argue people’s preferences for good-looking politicians may be linked to ancient adaptations for avoiding disease. In fact, the preference for attractive politicians seems to ebb and flow with voters’ concerns about germs.
How and why might disease be related to beauty at the ballot box?
Past research has found that some of the features associated with beauty — smooth skin, shiny hair, body and facial symmetry — are actually indicators of health.
Building on these findings, voters’ preferences for physically attractive politicians might reflect a desire for leaders who are free from disease. Our ancestors frequently confronted devastating epidemics that wiped out many of the members of their groups; at such times, having a healthy leader might have been particularly important.
If this is right, then modern humans may have a vestigial tendency to prefer attractive leaders when disease threats are looming. It follows that preferences for attractive leaders may rise and fall with voters’ concerns about disease. That is, people especially worried about germs should be especially likely to prefer physically attractive politicians.
To test this hypothesis, we first examined the links between health statistics and voting patterns for winners and losers in the 2010 United States congressional elections. These analyses revealed that in congressional districts with a higher incidence of disease, more physically attractive candidates earned a significantly greater portion of the vote and were actually more likely to win at the ballot box. In fact, good-looking candidates were almost twice as likely to win in these districts.
By contrast, in districts where people were generally healthier, being the better-looking candidate had no measurable effect on electoral outcomes. The link between disease and leader preferences aligns with other new findings showing that disease concerns are connected in functional ways to a host of human decisions, from prejudice to religiosity.
Is the preceding “news” article real or fake news? Break it down in your group and then state your own opinion on whether it is real or fake. Be sure to cite examples to support your ideas.
Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. ... Fake news stories can deceive people by looking like trusted websites or using similar names and web addresses to reputable news organizations.
1) Exercise skepticism
Take in any new information, whether it's the news or on social media or from a buddy at happy hour, with a bit of doubt.
2) Understand the misinformation landscape
Misinformation, as a concept, isn't new. But the social media platforms for engaging with it are constantly changing and increasing their influence in the media world.
3) Pay extra attention when reading about emotionally-charged and divisive topics
Misinformation is most effective on hot-button issues and immediate news. Ask yourself: Is this a complicated subject, something that's hitting an emotional trigger? Or is it a breaking news story where the facts aren't yet able to be assembled? If the answer is yes, then you need to be ultra-skeptical.
4) Investigate what you're reading or seeing
What does that skepticism look like in practice? It means asking some questions of what you're reading or seeing: Is the content paid for by a company or politician or other potentially biased source?
5) Yelling probably won't solve misinformation