10/31: The Web and (Mis) information

Class

Essential Question: How does the World Wide Web help and hinder the sharing of information and the creation of a knowledge society?

-Report on Shane. See the definition for Yellow Journalism

-How fake can the Web get?

• Lonelygirl 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-goXKtd6cPo
• Deep fake videos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake

-What's legitimate information? What is dubious information? How can we tell the difference? Why does being able to tell the difference matter?

Does this post provide strong evidence about the conditions near the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant? Explain your reasoning.  http://imgur.com/gallery/BZWWx

What about the original posting? https://twitter.com/san_kaido/status/603513371934130176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Which would you consider the most reliable source for information on these flowers? Why?

• As  reported by The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3171748/Land-mutant-daisies-Radiation-causes-flowers-grow-strangely-near-site-nuclear-plant-suffered-meltdown-tragic-tsunami.html
• As reported by Weather.com: https://weather.com/science/nature/news/mutant-flowers-japan-fukushima-famous
• As reported by National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150723-fukushima-mutated-daisies-flowers-radiation-science/
• As fact-checked by Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/nuclear-mutant-daisies/

-What are some characteristics of a reliable source of information?

1. The Onion: https://politics.theonion.com/black-man-given-nations-worst-job-1819570341
2. World News Daily Report: https://worldnewsdailyreport.com/lottery-winner-arrested-for-dumping-200000-of-manure-on-ex-boss-lawn/
3. National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org (click around)
4. Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/ (click around)
5. Breitbart: https://www.breitbart.com (click around)
6. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/ (click around)
7. The Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/ (click around)
8. The Daily Show: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/8edfu9/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-greta-thunberg-blasts-the-u-n---philly-gets-the-hero-it-deserves---lenny-kravitz-s-lost-sunglasses
9. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_effects_from_the_Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

-How do the Internet and Web help and hinder fake news? 
In what ways do the specific characteristics of the Internet and the World Wide Web, especially in its 2.0, 3.0, and mobile versions contribute to the boom of fake news?

-Possible solutions: 

1. Check those Ws!

2. Leave it to the experts: databases and peer reviewed sources

3. Trust the journalists: CUNY Graduate School Fake News Cheat Sheet 

See also :

Fact-checking sites:

• http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/  
• http://www.snopes.com/
• http://www.politifact.com/
• To check the authenticity of images, reverse-Google them to find their origins: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/1325808?hl=en

Browser plug-ins:

• BS Detector (Chrome, Firefox, Safari): http://bsdetector.tech 
• Fake News Alert (Chrome): https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fake-news-alert/aickfmgnhocegpdbfnpfnedpeionfkbh  
• This is Fake (Chrome, for Facebook feed): https://www.thisisfake.org/

10/29: Mass and Targeted Surveillance

Class

• Read: 
• The lead for the Wikipedia entry on the National Security Agency: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency
• The lead for the Wikipedia entry on Edward Snowden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden
• The NSA Files: https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/nov/01/snowden-nsa-files-surveillance-revelations-decoded

Watch

• Mikko Hypponen, “How the NSA Betrayed the World’s Trust”: https://www.ted.com/talks/mikko_hypponen_how_the_nsa_betrayed_the_world_s_trust_time_to_act?language=en
• Jennifer Granick, “How the Government Spies on People Who Protest Including You”: https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_granick_how_the_us_government_spies_on_people_who_protest_including_you?language=en

Browse: “The NSA Files.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/the-nsa-files

For next class

• Read: Shane, “From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece.”