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Friday, April 06, 2018

International Fact-Checking Day took place on 2 April



Even more fact-checking

  • Here’s a collection of TED Talks about  facts and fact-finding.
  • Catch up on the latest fact-checking and misinformation research.
  • Watch a series of fact-checking tutorials on YouTube.
  • Here’s a reading list about fact-checking and misinformation.



Happy International Fact-Checking Day!

Today’s a special day for fact-checkers around the world — International Fact-Checking Day! So we’re marking the occasion with a special edition of our newsletter. In only the second year of the holiday, April 2 has gotten recognition from Moscow to the Skokie library and all sorts of calendars and countdown clocks.
Here are some ways to participate today and all year long. Don’t forget to tweet with #FactCheckIt and #FactCheckingDay!


Fact-checking day resources

  • Teach your high school students how to fact-check news items about the fictional country of Agritania with this role-playing card game.
  • This collection of tip sheets and articles will help you learn to fact-check viral social media video, set up last-minute verification teams and be a more discerning reader of studies.
  • Especially for college students: Take this new online short course from Poynter, the American Press Institute and Google to learn more about fact-checking and verification practices.




Fact-checking day fun

  • Are we in a post-truth era? We asked people around the world and the answer was overwhelming: Nope. We love the truth.
  • Fact-checking doesn’t have to be rocket science. Here are seven tips for verifying online information, as told in a cartoon.
  • Test your fact-checking knowledge with this quiz.
 


International Fact-Checking Day is coming

To raise awareness of fact-checking around the world, yesterday International Fact-Checking Network launched Factcheckingday.com, a resource for citizens, readers and educators seeking to examine the validity of information, especially online. International Fact-Checking Day, which will take place Monday, is a rallying cry for more facts in politics, journalism and everyday life.
Learn more in this press release, check out Factcheckingday.com for fact-checking resources and fun, and don’t forget to use #FactCheckIt and #FactCheckingDay throughout the week!

This is how we do it

  • Here's how to debunk hoaxes on WhatsApp using strategies developed by fact-checkers.
  • The Hewlett Foundation will spend $10 million to help fight digital disinformation.
  • There’s still plenty of misinformation being shared about the Florida school shootings, and BuzzFeed is still tracking them.
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  • This is bad

    • The Times of India fell for a fake story about a female winking ban at a college in South India.
    • A U.S. congressman shared a xenophobic conspiracy theory on Twitter.
    • It looks like the Russians are already messing with Texas elections, says the Star-Telegram.
    (Shutterstock)

    A closer look

    • A CIA consultant discusses why “fake news” is about to get more sinister.
    • Malaysia and Singapore join other countries considering laws against misinformation. But Amnesty International adds its concerns to those who worry about the slippery slope affecting free speech and human rights.
    • Here’s a great example of what we call “Fact-Checking 3.0” — fact-checking that focuses on issues rather than an individual’s statement.

    Coming up

    • May 31 is the entry deadline for the Rita Allen Foundation Misinformation Solutions Forum. Two top prizes, $50,000 and $25,000, will be awarded.
    • Poynter is hiring an editor/program manager and multimedia reporter for its new media literacy project. Apply by April 13.
    • The New Yorker is hiring an ex-ante fact-checker, the AP is hiring a temporary fact-checker and The New York Times is hiring journalists for its visual investigations team.
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    • If you read one more thing

      The Texas Observer published an in-depth look at who reported good and bad information about the bombings in Austin last week.

      Quick fact-checking links

      Officials in the European Union are calling on journalists to help in the fight against fake news.  //  People are fact-checking President Trump’s grammar and spelling.  //  What’s missing from academic literature on fake news.  //  This hoax co-opted an old Britney Spears photo in an attempt to smear #NeverAgain activist Emma González.  //  Tumblr tackles its fake news problem, finally.  // Was Jesus the “original target of fake news?”  //  Here’s a fun story about “liars tables” where people actually speak the truth.  //   Psychology Today fact-checks the science behind two new movies about abduction.  //  Two French public radio networks are teaming up to launch a podcast about fake news.  //  BuzzFeed News debunked a video of Snickers bars being burned in a pit.  //  This new project from the right-leaning Media Research Center aims to “fact-check the fact-checkers” and expose “liberal partisans.”  //  Egypt’s government now has a hotline for WhatsApp misinformation.  //  Men’s Health magazine is fact-checking shaky science stories with a video series.  //  Facebook published a “fact check” of reports about it collecting data on users’ text and call history. There’s just one problem: It’s not really a fact check.
      Until next week,