OPINION
EMERALD TRUST PROJECT VOL. 122, ISSUE NO. 26
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WINTER 2021
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THE DAILY EMERALD
The Daily Emerald is published by Emerald Media Group, Inc., the independent nonprofit media company at the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.
ON THE COVER
(Eleanor Klock/Emerald)
REGIONAL AND STATE NEWS
AN INOCULATION AGAINST DISINFORMATION
Ashley Ng
NEWS EDITORS
Around OR
BY C. FRANCIS O’LEARY • TWITTER @CFRANCISOLEARY We as a society are working to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic through an organized, nationwide effort. For most, their role in containing the virus is to work from home when possible, wear a mask and generally minimize the risk that they contract and spread the coronavirus. For others, their job is to develop and distribute a vaccine that will protect people against the virus. The goal is to have a high proportion of the population who are immune, which will make personto-person spread unlikely. There is a second pandemic permeating this country and the world: information disorder. Information disorder is a term coined by Claire Wardle, an expert on the online spread of bad information. It means fabricated information or that which is spread with the intent to cause harm. According to research at Stanford University, calling this information viral is not an exaggeration; researchers used modelling software designed to study Ebola to map the spread of bad information during the 2016 election. The consequences of information disorder are all too plain to see. Last Wednesday, information disorder caused by lies about widespread election fraud led thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters to leave one of his speeches and invade the Capitol. There, they looted congressional offices, attacked members of the press and killed a police officer. It’s time to develop herd immunity. We need
to make ourselves less susceptible to bad information and stop it when we see it. We need to intentionally create a counter to the conspiratorial milieu, a culture of engagement with good, truthful information. This term, as part of the Emerald Trust Project, the Daily Emerald is committing to including the public in more of our content creation. We call upon the students, parents, faculty and staff of the University of Oregon to not only subscribe to our newsletter and read our reporting, but reach out to reporters with tips, submit letters to the editor and pitch short-run podcasts about little-known aspects of the community. Engage with reporters on social media and when you see us onthe-job. As always, I encourage people to email me at trust@ dailyemerald.com if you have other ideas. At the Emerald, we don’t only want to provide the community with information they can use in daily life, nor do we only want to develop first-rate reporters who will continue with the Emerald’s ethos of actively building trust in the communities they report on. We want our readers to go forward as engaged, critical media consumers. I’m not going to pretend like the Emerald and UO are going to reverse the tide and end information disorder once and for all, but it’s equally wrong to act like we’re powerless. Together we can create an environment where bad information can’t take root, but we have to start here and now.
“Together we can create an environment where bad information can’t take root, but we have to start here and now.”
OREGON STATE REP. LET RIGHT-WING PROTESTERS BREACH STATE CAPITOL: Security footage obtained by The Oregonian showed Rep. Mike Nearman, a Republican from Independence, opening doors to the Oregon state capitol building in Salem, allowing demonstrators to enter illegally. Many were unmasked and some carried rifles, The Oregonian reported. The incident occurred on Dec. 21 when Oregon lawmakers gathered for a special session to extend the eviction moratorium, allocate more money to the COVID-19 response and create a relief fund for landlords. – JACK FORREST CONFERENCE PLAY: Oregon men’s and women’s basketball programs hit the road this week as they continue conference play. Head coach Dana Altman’s squad bounced back after a loss to the Colorado Buffs’ with a 79-73 win over Utah. The No. 17 Ducks sit at 10-2. Meanwhile, the women’s team took on No. 9 UCLA and No. 1 Stanford, losing 73-71 and 70-63 respectively. – SHANE HOFFMANN
(Maddie Knight/Emerald)
LOVE POEMS WRITING WORKSHOP: On Jan. 29, the Caesura Poetry Workshop, an organization based in Milwaukie, Oregon, will hold “The Heartfelt & Heartbroken: Writing Evocative Love Poems,” a workshop that will explore writing poems about love. Participants will analyze the work of contemporary poets and complete hands-on writing activities to share their emotions and affection through poetry without getting stuck in sentimentality. The workshop will run from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – SARAH-MAE McCULLOUGH
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