Fake News, Facts, and Alternative Facts Teach-Out

How can you distinguish credible information from “fake news”? Reliable information is at the heart of what makes an effective democracy, yet many people find it harder to differentiate good journalism from propaganda. Increasingly, inaccurate information is shared on Facebook and echoed by a growing number of explicitly partisan news outlets. This becomes more problematic because people have a tendency to accept agreeable messages over challenging claims, even if the former are less objectively credible. In this teach-out, we examine the processes that generate both accurate and inaccurate news stories, and that lead people to believe those stories. We then provide a series of tools that ordinary citizens can use to tell fact from fiction.

This Teach-Out will answer:
- Why is it increasingly challenging to differentiate between good journalism and propaganda?
- What are the underlying processes that generate both accurate and inaccurate news stories?
- Why do people tend to accept agreeable messages over challenging claims, even when the former are less objectively credible?
- What tools and strategies can ordinary citizens utilize to discern fact from fiction in the media landscape?
- How can critical thinking skills be cultivated to help individuals navigate the information ecosystem effectively?
- What role do social media platforms like Facebook play in the spread of inaccurate information, and how can users mitigate its impact?
- How can media literacy education contribute to empowering individuals to become discerning consumers of information?
- What are the broader implications of misinformation and its effects on public discourse, trust in media, and democratic processes?