To keep yourself from drowning in a sea of (mis)information, consider these ideas from readers
Today we swim — or drown — in a sea of information.
We have digital media that never stops, Facebook, Twitter, self-published blogs and a wealth of online records, and they are all at the tips of our fingers, which seem to always be attached to our devices.
Better access to information is a good thing, but we've also seen the amplification of voices that seek to intentionally disinform, which in turn leads to misinformation when bad information is repeated and gains traction.
And in the midst of that, we had a pandemic with a novel coronavirus, when new information about the virus and how to protect yourself from it was rapidly emerging and evolving.
Who can be trusted is at the heart of this discussion.
"I really only trust NPR. When I see a breaking news story on Facebook or another news source I check NPR." — Ben K.
"The toughest part is there is little most of us can do to determine the veracity of a news story if we are not directly involved. We need a fundamental trust in the reporting person or organization ... In reality, most of us simply do not have the time or resources to verify everything that comes to us through traditional or social media." — Dylan J.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: With home prices still rising, do you have a future in Northern Colorado?
Marjorie K. highlighted a tool that charts where national news outlets land in terms of their apparent political leanings and also whether they skew more toward opinion content or news content, according to Ad Fontes, which states its mission is to make news consumers smarter and news media better: https://adfontesmedia.com/
It's easier to trust our friends, or perhaps those we share political views with. That's probably why it's easier to take in our trusted friend's social media post without stopping to understand where it came from or scrutinize it. Wm. R suggested getting news from social media is always a bad idea.
John W. and Judi T. suggested having a varied diet of news: "Get out of your echo chamber and change the channel. Varied media diet or better yet, no cable TV news watching."
Wm. R also suggested that a person's own common sense can be a tool: "Don't just accept statistics or data. Try to verify or run the numbers yourself to see if they make sense."
At the same time, take care that you remain open to considering something that might conflict with our already formed confirmation bias, so you don't get stuck in a loop of bad information.
In the same vein, Mike J. suggested going to the original source itself: "Seek out primary sources instead of hot takes and slogans: policing statistics, CDC IFR estimates, the actual content of legislation."
Of course, not everybody has time for this, and that's one of the benefits of quality journalism.
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There isn't just one approach that will magically sift credible information from wrong information — and there are always varying degrees in between — though these approaches will help.
How misinformation is defined is an important aspect of this conversation.
In our question, we noted that Merriam-Webster defines misinformation as "incorrect or misleading information," while Oxford goes further, calling it "a form of propaganda involving the dissemination of false information with the deliberate intent to deceive or mislead."
A few commenters shared a belief that disinformation and misinformation have been terms coined to describe speech that the person or entity just doesn't agree with. They felt that media organizations ignore or downplay news that doesn't fit their perceived political bias.
Dylan J. said: "It is far too easy to find examples of major outlets pushing biased stories, dismissing legitimate stories for partisan purposes, or promoting outright false information."
He offered up some areas to treat with care as a reader, and we've paraphrased it:
Breaking news: It's just developing and as it does, information can change.
Paid content: Know who is paying for it and consider their goals (the Coloradoan clearly labels sponsored content).
Vague sourcing: Specific sourcing is best, rather than crediting "experts," for example.
A news outlet must take seriously specific criticisms of its reporting and give them thoughtful review for future policy. It should publish corrections for factual errors. It should keep reporting on changing developments.
We'll be tackling these topics in an upcoming panel discussion about how local communities and newsrooms can address growing concerns about misinformation. It's organized by the Northern Colorado Deliberative Journalism Project, which includes the Coloradoan. You are invited. It's from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 12.
It will include a presentation from Colorado State University Associate Professor of Political Science Dominik Stecula, along with a panel discussion and audience question-and-answer session.
Panelists include: Katherine Knobloch, associate professor of communication studies and associate director of the CSU Center for Public Deliberation; Silvia Solis, community engagement director for the Colorado News Collaborative; David Wolfgang, CSU Journalism and Media Communication associate professor; Annaclaire Crumpton with Poudre River Public Library District; Michael Humphrey, CSU Journalism and Media Communication associate professor; and Fort Collins Coloradoan Content Strategist Rebecca Powell.
Spanish interpretation will be available.
The panel is hosted by the CSU Center for Public Deliberation in partnership with Northern Colorado Deliberative Journalism Project partners.
If you want to join the webinar, RSVP at https://bit.ly/djpmisinformation.
Fort Collins' ban on plastic grocery bags is almost here. How will it change how you shop?
When we asked you for your "life hacks" around navigating the plastic bag ban at grocery stores, and specifically how it might change your habits, here's what you said:
"Seems like I have tons of various tote bags for free from events. Helps the environment and stops waste." — Ben K.
"I'm excited that it will force me to use reusable bags even when I'm lazy or disorganized." — Matthew P.
"My favorite reusable bags are made of recycled polyester. I have several. They have an attached pouch to fold into, which makes it easy to slip into my purse so it's handy when I need it and easier to remember. They are strong, easy to wash and inexpensive. They can be found online, or even better, bought locally." — Jennifer H.
"We started shopping Timnath this week until state ban kicks in ... . At that point we'll either carry plastic bags into the store or shop Cheyenne more. We get to Cheyenne weekly anyway, so it's not that tough to shop there more." — Jojo H.
"I'm all set for the plastic bag ban. I just received the package of 1,000 plastic 'T-shirt' bags that I ordered from Amazon." — Bill F.
"I've been using cloth bags for close to 30 years. It won't change my habits at all." — Mimi K.
If you've got any handy ideas for carrying groceries without having to pay for a paper bag at the store — a small laundry basket goes with you from your car to your cart to the checkout counter and back out to the car, perhaps? — please keep sharing them at Coloradoan.com/opinion.
More: Fort Collins' plastic bag ban took effect May 1. Here's what to know.
Rebecca Powell is a content strategist at the Coloradoan, working to connect our community with the answers they seek. Contact her at RebeccaPowell@coloradoan.com. The Coloradoan can't do the important work of keeping our community informed without you. Support us by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Avoid misinformation with these ideas from Coloradoan readers
