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Articles on Fake news

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There’s little evidence that Twitter is being overrun with partisan bots in the leadup to the Canadian election. Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash

Scant evidence of active Twitter bots as Canadian election kicks off

Claims that tweets on the Canadian election are the work of bot accounts, without empirical evidence or verification, need to be taken with a grain of salt.
In a news cycle full of clownish characters and outrageous rhetoric, it’s no wonder satire isn’t fully registering with a lot of readers. The Onion

Too many people think satirical news is real

You might see a headline from The Onion or The Babylon Bee and, for a split second, think it’s true. But many social media users don’t get the joke – and share these articles as if they’re real.
In an attempt to address the growing problem of fake news online, an algorithm that identifies patterns in language may help distinguish between factual and inaccurate news articles. Shutterstock

The language gives it away: How an algorithm can help us detect fake news

Using machine learning and natural language processing, researchers are developing an algorithm that can distinguish between real and fake news articles.
Mueller testifies before the House Intelligence Committee. Reuters/Alex Brandon

The Mueller hearing and the death of facts

To one scholar of the post-truth era, tuning in to Robert Mueller’s testimony Wednesday was to hear a duel over the facts. Not what the facts imply – but what the facts are.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau on March 14, 2018. The same Russian online troll farm that meddled in the American presidential election has also taken swipes at Canadian targets. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang" caption="Prime Minister Justin Trud

Russian Twitter trolls stoke anti-immigrant lies ahead of Canadian election

An examination of the Twitter activity after the Québec mosque murders reveal that the majority showed sympathy towards the victims, but Russian trolls worked to spread antagonism and fake news.
A recent study has found that many Obama supporters didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US election because of the spread of fake news. Chris Kleponis/AAP

Governments are making fake news a crime – but it could stifle free speech

Human rights activists, legal experts and others fear these laws have the potential to be misused to stifle free speech or unintentionally block legitimate online posts and websites.
Media critic and educator Neil Postman’s 1985 book ‘Amusing Ourselves to Death’ warned of the dangers when all media is entertainment, especially when people lack critical media literacy skills. (Shutterstock)

The urgent need for media literacy in an age of annihilation

Students – and indeed all of us – must learn to ask questions about what stories are told, and the implications of what stories are not being told.
Facebook’s Mia Garlick says, ‘we’re frequently seeing politicians use the Facebook Live tool to augment a press conference or to directly speak to voters about the issues of importance of the day.’ AAP/MICK TSIKAS

Media Files: Facebook’s Mia Garlick on #Ausvotes2019 and how Australian MPs use social media

Facebook’s Mia Garlick on how Australian politicians are using social media The Conversation44.8 MB (download)
Today's Media Files podcast examines the role of social media in election campaigns, including the spread of 'fake news' and foreign political interference.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces the election at a press conference on April 11. The election campaign so far has thrown up many challenges for those covering it. AAP/Mick Tsikas

A matter of (mis)trust: why this election is posing problems for the media

In this election, it’s not just two parties and candidates that need closer scrutiny – it’s the media landscape itself.
Claims of ‘fake news’ and misinformation campaigns have already arisen in the federal election campaign, a problem the political parties and tech companies are ill-equipped to address. Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA

‘Fake news’ is already spreading online in the election campaign – it’s up to us to stop it

New regulations have been rolled out to counter the spread of misinformation during the campaign, but these steps will largely be ineffective in the fast-moving social media sphere

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