All the News that Fits 0
Paul Isom, a professor of journalism, meditates on the spread of and defenses against “fake news,” also known as lies. Among other musings, he offers suggestions about how not to get duped (emphasis added):
But questions persisted. Several had heard from friends, relatives, politicians and others that The New York Times was a biased, untrustworthy news source. How were New York Times stories any more believable than the fake news purveyors?
In response, I showed them a Times piece from Nov. 15 headlined “Steve ‘Turn on the Hate’ Bannon in the White House.” I had first seen it in my Facebook feed, and one of the top comments railed about the story’s liberal bias and, in turn, the Times’ lack of credibility as a news source.
Then I asked the students to notice what was written above and below the headline.
“The Opinion Pages” was most prominent label, along with “Editorial” and “By the Editorial Board.”
Understanding the difference between news and opinion is key to understanding what we’re reading.
In related real news, at Psychology Today Blogs, Romeo Vitali discusses the relationship between social media usage and narcissism. It’s not benign.
