Fighting the Fake News Epidemic

Nowadays when "fake news" seems to be a key political talking point, it is important to do research on which news sources are reliable and how we can tell if specific news stories are true.

Business Insider's Pamela Engel wrote an article summarizing Pew Research Center's study on how liberal or conservative each news source's audience is. Overall, the majority of news sources studied had audiences that were more liberal on the ideological placement scale. The breakdown of each news source's audience ideology can be found in the article and the summary of the study can be found in the image below.

Summary of Pew Research Center's study found here

Next, we need to learn how to determine whether or not an article is mostly unbiased, reliable, and trustworthy. Tom Rosenstiel of the American Press Institute devised a 6-step regimen that we should practice when figuring out who to trust. There are more detail explanations with examples in the article, but here are summaries for each step.

The first step is to determine the type of content that is in the article you are reading such as an opinion piece, news story, or blog article. If it's a news story, analyze the piece for any political slant and research the organization that owns the website or is sponsoring the article. By researching the organization, you are able to determine where their funding is coming from and if they display favor towards that source in published articles.

The second step is to focus on the sources the author used to support their claims in the article. It is necessary to determine if the cited sources are trustworthy in order to know if the article is reliable. If there are no sources, research the author to determine if they are a professional in, primary source of, or eye-witness to what they are writing about. Another reason an article may not have any citations is because the content refers to a public event such as a televised speech.

Image found on Google Images

The third step is similar to the second step in that it involves looking for evidence within the article. Evidence used in an article should refer to specifics and avoid vague phrases such as "scientists agree" to show credibility of the source. The method as to how the author validated the evidence should also be clear within the article.

The fourth step is to analyze the conclusion and whether or not it is well-supported by the evidence presented. All the evidence incorporated into the article should logically support the conclusion; be sure that the author is not drawing ridiculous or far-fetched conclusions from the evidence presented. Authors of trustworthy articles also incorporate opposing viewpoints, what is still unknown, and updates the article when new information becomes available. Exercise skepticism if these elements are not present in the article.

The fifth step focuses on the article's degree of completeness and what is missing. An article should compel you to ask questions and research the answers, but first you should revisit the content to see if you have questions due to poor writing or the information is simply missing. If the answer to your question is unclear or missing, be skeptical of the article and conduct further research. On the other hand, if the article did answer the question later on or why something is missing, consider the article reliable and research more to answer remaining questions.

The sixth and final step is to ask yourself if you are familiar with news that is important to you, interests you, or is a key story in multiple news sources. Knowing what sources to rely on when consuming news can not only save time, but allow you to develop logical, well-supported opinions.

Image found on Google Images

The vast majority of news sources are biased because they are written by people who have or develop an opinion on the subject after researching it. Despite a journalist's best efforts, it is likely that the story will still have a slight biased, but this is okay. It's beneficial and a sign of maturity to listen to or read conflicting perspectives in order to expand your own.

My recommendation on how we should read and watch the news is to follow two sources with opposing opinions and one source that has an audience that is generally mixed in their political ideology. These sources cannot be all mixed, conservative, or liberal or else we run the risk of becoming close-minded. Diversity is essential. Additionally, we need to begin researching an author's sources and what organizations sponsor the article to determine if the article is politically slanted. Open-mindedness and diligent research are the keys to avoid becoming a victim of the fake news epidemic.

Are You Addicted to Smartphones?

Do you feel reluctant to be without your smartphone, even for a short time? Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your phone many times a day even when you know there is likely nothing new or important to see? Do you sleep with your smartphone on or under your pillow or next to your bed regularly? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you may be addicted.

Even though there are countless articles, studies, and lectures from friends and family that imply almost everyone nowadays seems to be addicted to their phone, you may not necessarily be addicted. Here are the signs of cell phone addiction:

1. You feel the need to use your phone more often to alleviate any anxiety.
2. You attempted to use your phone less often, but failed more than once.
3. You turn to your phone when you feel anxious, depressed, or nervous.
4. You're on your phone so much that you lose track of time.
5. Your excessive cell phone usage has put a relationship or job at risk.
6. You always need the newest phone and applications.
7. You feel angry, tense, depressed, irritable, anxious, or restless when you do not have your phone.

Did you find that you could relate to four or more of these statements? If so, then you are addicted. As with all addiction, there a physical and psychological effects.

Image found here

I'll start with the physical effects. Eye strain, which includes burning and itching, blurred vision, eye fatigue, and headaches, is very common for addicts. Neck pain from looking at your phone too long is known as "text neck." Some studies have determined that cell phone radiation causes male infertility and an increase in illnesses due to germs on phones. One example of bacteria that is found on some phones is e. coli, which can cause fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Those who text and drive are much more prone to car accidents. Research has shown that texting and driving has the potential to be just as dangerous as drinking and driving.

Psychological effects include depression and OCD. Phone usage before bed increase insomnia and sleep disturbances because the bright light can decrease sleep quality, active the brain, and increase the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. If a phone addict is on his or her phone too often in front of their significant other or friends, it could create strain in the relationship. Research has shown that addicts who use their phones more often feel more anxious when they do not have them or have an opportunity to have downtime.

It is true that more people are becoming addicted to cell phones especially during a time in which having a cell phone is seen as a necessity. How do we change this? If we teach young children how to use technology in moderation in the future, we may decrease the rate of addiction to cell phones. Time should be set aside at home and at school for children to play outside or without any technology with or on them.

Image found here

If you would like to learn more about addiction, there is an additional questionnaire at the bottom of this page.