I have written about this problem often. The most recent time was about four years ago.

I was discussing how the Director of an honor society (Sigma Xi) to which I belong had taken on the sacred mission of correcting the politics of misinformation. Since this was a technical society, their goals were aimed at vaccinations, health care, and scientific facts. Poltiicians have helped degrade the faith in science, given their to pronounce simple, yet incorrect, solutions to health and safety issues. (As an aside, I will soon be discussing Governor Mike Dewine’s greenwashing attempt [aided and abetted by the WrongWing alternative fact promoter, ALEC] in Ohio. But, that is not the topic for today.)

Notably, the problem lies not just in sci/tech issues. It’s also  the news in general. Like it wasn’t Donald Trump supporters that stampeded Congress on the 6th of January 2021 (in a mini-rebellion) or that the police and army didn’t help (perhaps even promote) the riots in Brasilia, claiming that Bolsonaro won the Brazilian election.Which is why this week is so important. It’s National News Literacy Week. Sponsored by the News Literacy Project- a non-partisan effort- to promote the ability of Americans (and the rest of the world) to become better informed, more empowered, and to understand the need for facts when discussing the news, science, and technology. Because facts matter.

It means we must verify the facts, so we can be assured of the credibility of what we say and discuss. Our democracy will fail if we don’t base our actions on true facts and unbiased positions.
In particular, tomorrow’s session will be especially useful. The topic (2 pm, register here ) is “Your brain and misinformation: Why people believe lies and conspiracy theories”. Knowing how we can be so easily deceived is a prime method to ensure that it doesn’t happen- or at least not often. I hadn’t realized it, but this is the FOURTH annual program (major funding from the EW Scripps Company); the co-sponsor is the American Psychological Association.. (IT still is free and open to the public. I’m going- are you?)

There are other ways we can stop misinformation. There is a site called Checkology. Most educators have found that this was among the best learning tools for their students. It helped some 2/3 of the students to discriminate between quality and rag-like journalism, warned them that social media is not the proper venue to obtain facts.

This free learning platform employs engaging techniques to inform and educate, promote critical thinking skills, and the like. And, it’s not just for students and educators. There are about 8 lessons for us, helping us learn and practice our skills, so we too can be properly informed.

Hope to see you at the seminar tomorrow.  We all need to lean how to verify facts and only pass along what’s true.

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