UNIT 6: DIGITAL INFORMATION
Piece 1: Social Media Spreads Harmful Untruths About Texas Shooting
VOA, 26/5/2022
Experts are warning of conspiracy theories and misinformation on social media after the
recent deadly shootings in the American state of Texas.
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary
school in the town of Uvalde.
Within hours of Tuesday's school shootings, internet users spread false claims. The
claims were about the teenager named as the gunman and his possible reasons for
carrying out the attack.
The Associated Press noted that misinformation also appeared on social media after the
shootings at Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida and after the Orlando, Florida
nightclub shooting. It also happened after the mass shooting earlier this month at a
Buffalo grocery store.
One of the untrue claims about the gunman was that he was an immigrant living in the
U.S. illegally, Another was that he was transgender, the AP reported. These quickly
appeared on social media services Twitter, Reddit and others. Another claim was that the
shooting was somehow false or carried out to gain public attention.
The claims show the problems of racism and intolerance toward transgender people.
Jaime Longoria is a disinformation expert and leads research at the Disinfo Defense
League. He said the conspiracy theories represent an effort to blame the shooting on
minority groups. He said these groups already experience higher rates of online
mistreatment and hate crimes.
"It's a tactic that serves two purposes: It avoids real conversations about the issue (of gun
violence), and it gives people…someone to blame," said Longoria.
In some cases, social media users spread misinformation about mass shootings without
fully understanding the facts. In other cases, it can be the work of criminals looking to
raise money for their own use or bring attention to their website or organization.
Then there are the trolls - people who send offensive messages for fun.
Ben Decker is founder and chief of the investigation company Memetica. He said that
extreme online communities often use mass shootings and other tragedies to create
disorder and misunderstanding. They want to upset the public and push harmful untruths.
Decker said people in such communities want to show how powerful they can be by
"successfully trolling the public.” By pushing their story on the general public, they raise
their own position in their online community, he said.
(381 words)
Piece 2: Experts Worry About News Stories Written with Artificial Intelligence
VOA, 3/8/2023
The New York Times reported last week that Google is testing a new product named
Genesis. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to produce news stories, or articles.
The New York Times said Genesis gathers information, like details about current
events, to create news stories (Q1). Google already has pitched the product to the Times
and other organizations, including The Washington Post and News Corp., which owns
The Wall Street Journal newspaper.
The launch of AI chatbot ChatGPT last fall created a debate about how AI ought to be
used in the news industry.
AI tools can help reporters research by quickly examining data from large
computer files. AI can also help reporters confirm or disprove information from
sources (Q2). But there is fear that AI tools could spread propaganda and cause
journalists to lose the skill of reporting.
John Scott-Railton studies disinformation at the Citizen Lab, part of the University of
Toronto. He told VOA that a lot of information gathered by AI comes from places on
the internet “where disinformation and propaganda get targeted.” (Q3)
Paul M. Barrett is with New York University's Stern Center for Business and Human
Rights. He agrees that AI could increase the spread of false information.
"It’s going to be easier to generate myths and disinformation,” he told VOA. “The supply
of misleading content is, I think, going to go up.”
In an emailed statement to VOA, a Google spokesperson said its tool is designed to
help reporters, or journalists, in their work, not replace them. AI cannot replace the
“role journalists have in reporting, creating and fact-checking their articles,” the
spokesperson said. (Q4)
AI tools in journalism could also hurt trust in news organizations. Public opinion
researchers Gallup and the Knight Foundation released a study in February about trust in
the media. It said that half of Americans believe that national news organizations try to
mislead or misinform the public.
“I’m puzzled that anyone thinks that the solution to this problem is to introduce a much
less credible tool,” said Scott-Railton. He earlier received support from Google’s research
group Google Ideas.
Reports say that AI chatbots regularly produce answers that are wrong or made up
(Q5). Digital experts are also concerned about the security risks of using AI tools to
produce news stories. (Q6)
Reporters would have to be careful not to reveal to AI systems information like “the
identity of a confidential source, or, I would say, even information that the journalist
wants to make sure doesn't become public,” Barrett said.
(413 words)
Piece 3: Media, Internet Literacy Needs Increase in US Schools
VOA, 21/3/2023
Part 1:
More educators and researchers are bringing attention to misinformation spread through
the internet and social media.
Teachers already face many difficulties. Adding what is called media literacy can be
another problem. The concern is how some subjects are seen only as political issues. This
could include issues like misinformation about vaccines, increasing world temperatures
and even Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Associated Press says that those opposed to teaching internet literacy say it is the
same as thought control. This prevents some teachers from using it in their classes.
Julie Smith is an expert on media literacy. She teaches at Webster University in the state
of Missouri. She said teaching media literacy is not teaching what to think, but how to
think.
She said: "It's engaging about engaging your brain. It's asking, 'Who created this? Why?
Why am I seeing it now? How does it make me feel and why?’”
Part 2:
Erin McNeil is a mother from Massachusetts who has worked as a reporter. She said that
media literacy is a skill that is just as important as computer engineering for the economy.
She created a nonprofit group called Media Literacy Now. The organization supports
digital literacy education.
"Basic communication is part of our information economy, and there will be huge
implications for our economy if we don't get this right,” McNeil said.
Shawn Lee teaches social studies in Seattle, Washington. He sees internet and media
literacy as important for modern life as driver’s education in high school.
He has taught about double-checking online reports, getting information from more than
a few places and using critical thinking. He also created an organization for teachers to
share resources.
"This technology is so new that no one taught us how to use it," Lee said. "People are
like, 'There's nothing we can do…I disagree with that. I would like to think the republic
can survive an algorithm."