UNA-ORLANDO - Informed Citizens

INFORMED CITIZENS

Every person has the right to be informed about current issues by authoritative and legitimate news sources. However, the growth of the internet and social media has altered the traditional media landscape and has made it easier for false and misleading content to be distributed. Social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have turned into monopolies, and their algorithms determine what billions of internet users see everyday. Due to this, every person lives in their own "filter bubble", seeing only the content that is suggested for them by these platforms. Local and national newspapers and cable TV news channels have become more biased and are driven by the goal of maximizing profits, even when that means exploiting and misinforming viewers. Honest journalists in the U.S. and abroad are being targeted, jailed, and mistreated by governments and nefarious organizations. Educational institutions and governments often under-inform or misinform individuals about world history, especially about sensitive topics such as racial discrimination and slavery. These factors have led to a global misinformation crisis. This page aims to inform on the prevalence of this problem and ways to combat the spread of misinformation. For a list of legitimate news outlets, please visit our reliable sources page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEARNING RESOURCES

Bias and Corruption in News Media

Journalists Targeted

LEARNING RESOURCES

Background

The role of misinformation in Trump’s insurrectionDarrell West highlights the role that online misinformation has played in political polarization and the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Trends and Facts on Online News | State of the News MediaIn the U.S., 93% of adults get at least some news online (either on mobile or desktop), and the internet has become the home of both legacy, print, radio and broadcast news outlets and new, digital news outlets. See more online news industry statistics.

Americans in news media ‘bubbles’ think differently about foreign policy than othersDifferences within each party on views of foreign policy emerge based on where Americans turn for political news.

Social Media

An informed citizenry, a dynamic democracy: Fighting political misinformationSpread of misinformation on social media threatens freedom of information

White House blames Facebook and YouTube for spreading vaccine misinformationThe White House has YouTube, not just Facebook, on its list of social media platforms officials say are responsible for an alarming spread of misinformation about COVID vaccines and are not doing enough to stop it, sources familiar with the administration's thinking said.

Social-Media Algorithms Rule How We See the World. Good Luck Trying to Stop Them.We’re still at the mercy of the algorithms. That needs to change, and it’s up to social-media companies to change it, writes columnist Joanna Stern.

Bias and Corruption in News Media

How conservative media stoked baseless election-fraud claims that motivated DC riotersPresident Trump has been the biggest, loudest source of false claims about election fraud, but supportive right-wing media have amplified his message.

'The most dangerous US company you have never heard of": Sinclair, a rightwing media giantSinclair is the largest broadcast company in America. But its partisan politics – and connections to the White House – are raising concerns

Newsmax Issues Retraction And Apology To Dominion Employee Over Election StoriesVoting machine engineer Eric Coomer was falsely accused of rigging the election against former President Donald Trump by the conservative cable network. He faced death threats and has been in hiding.

Journalists Targeted

Journalists Targeted While Covering Protests: 328 Press Freedom Violations And CountingThe vast majority of incidents have been from law enforcement.

China: New Journalism, New Threats - Committee to Protect JournalistsWith China's press becoming more market-oriented, journalists are reporting more aggressively on crime and corruption-and are facing violent retribution for their work as a result. A Special Report by Sophie Beach

Protecting the future of journalism with the Journalist Protection ActWith legislation in place to hold individuals accountable, the future of journalism will not be one full of increasing, unrelenting instances of violence.

Schools

Texas “critical race theory” bill limiting teaching of current events signed into lawTexas is one of a handful of states that have approved legislation that prescribes how teachers discuss current events and prohibits students from receiving credit for participating in civic activities.

Why Schools Fail To Teach Slavery's 'Hard History' A new report says too many students don't know the basics of American slavery and too many teachers feel ill-served by bad textbooks and timid state standards.

Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories. (Published 2020)We analyzed some of the most popular social studies textbooks used in California and Texas. Here’s how political divides shape what students learn about the nation’s history.

Governments

From Vietnam to Afghanistan, all US governments lieUS officials have consistently lied over decades about progress in the Afghanistan war. The lies are no surprise, writes a foreign affairs scholar – but they have profound consequences.

PolitiFact - Lie of the Year: Coronavirus downplay and denialA Florida taxi driver and his wife had seen enough conspiracy theories online to believe the virus was overblown, maybe /> <meta name=

Yes, I’d lie to youDishonesty in politics is nothing new; but the manner in which some politicians now lie, and the havoc they may wreak by doing so, are worrying | Briefing

More Resources

The Social Dilemma | Netflix Official SiteThis documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

The Great Hack | Netflix Official SiteExplore how a data company named Cambridge Analytica came to symbolize the dark side of social media in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A People's History of the United StatesLibrary Journal calls Howard Zinn’s iconic A People's History of the United States “a brilliant and moving history of the American people...

Lies My Teacher Told MeAmericans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen l...

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