Journalism consists of researching, verifying, contextualizing, organizing and publishing quality information. Journalists answer the questions:
WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? HOW? WHY ? THIS REQUIRES JOURNALISTS: To actively observe, To collect testimonies and establish trust • To consider and understand different points of view Isthereanexampleofadvertisingorsatirethatyouhaveseenrecently? Lookupamediasitethatyouhaveused forinformation.Openothertabsandsearch forit,seewhatotherssayaboutit. Doyouknowiftheyhaveacertainpoint ofviewororientation(i.e.liberalvs conservative)?Whatistheirpurposeor agenda?(itmightbefoundonthe mastheador“about”page). Whymightitbeimportanttodiversify theoutletsyouread?Whataresome interestsyouhave,andhowmight differentsourcespresentitdifferently? Know the difference between opinion or commentary versus news story A comment is when a journalist shares their personal thoughts. It can be in the form of a post, a column, an opinion, or an editorial. A report is primarily a factual recount of something that happened, although the report may still have an angle or bias. Satire A satire is a mocking criticism (of individuals, organizations, states), whose intention is to provoke or make people think. It is often taken to be fact by those who don’t understand it. Editorial content versus advertising Advertising, unlike information, is written with the intention of selling something to the reader, of persuading them to act in the interest of the business. • The law requires for advertising content to be stated as such. Ads are mentioned in different ways: “ by + brand ”, “ for + brand ”, “ partnership ”, “ sponsored content ”, brand logo, mentions at the bottom of the page, press release ”. Ads are sometimes very discreet, so remember to check the title, name of the author, name of the section, credits, and additional notes. Infographics can be misleading Keep in mind that raw numbers are different from rates, that numbers may suggest a relationship to one another that is not true, and that the scale of the infographic should honestly represent the data.
EACH MEDIA CHANNEL HAS A POINT OF VIEW A media’s asserted political tendency can be researched within the media website or on sites like Wikipedia. Despite the fact that everyone has a point of view, quality media organizations and serious journalists strive to get as close to the truth as possible and to be balanced and fair in their reporting. INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA LITERACY Howdoyougetyournews?Whatnews sourcesdoyouuse:newspapers,magazines, radio,TV,Internet,socialmedia? Canyounameafewofthosenewssources (forexample:BBC,Facebook,TheGuardian)? Howfrequentlydoyouaccessnews? Whatis thedifferencebetweennews andopinion?Betweennewsandadvertising? Canyougofurtherbygivingexamples andexplainingwhyandhow bothmatteranddiffer? DISCUSSION GUIDE A GUIDE TO SAFE SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTICES Whodoyoufollowonsocialmedia? Whatbrandsdoyouseeadvertisedinyourfeeds? Whatnewsdoyouconsume onsocialmedia? Whataccounts?Whatkindofinformation doyougetonsocialmedia? * Howdoesscrollingonsocialmediamakeyoufeel? PASSIVE SCROLLING We are more attracted to scandalous content, but the more we read this type of content, the more the app sends it to us Social media platforms are often designed to consume information quickly rather than critically engage with the content BE WARY OF NEWS THAT CONFIRMS YOUR EXISTING VIEW OF THE WORLD Humans are wired to look for views that we agree with, which can be comforting but is less likely to engage critical thinking PUSH-UP NOTIFICATIONS Are based on our habits and are not always verified Look before you click • We often choose the first results of a search though they are not necessarily the most reliable - there are ways that entities can optimize a website’s visibility in search engines • Scan the results page (titles, URL, dates) and then decide on the link that you are going to click on, according to what you are looking for Advertising algorithms react to keywords, so check that there is no conflict of interest in the results offered Do not share information before verifying it Take responsibility for the information you share Diversify your sources, open your mind Follow sites that have different agendas and points of view Talk to people in real life, take a break from social media 1 4 SOCIAL MEDIA CONFUSION The loss of revenues from newspapers to social media platforms has meant a shift from fact-checked information meant to inform citizens, to content designed to promote engagement, virality and money. On a political level, social media has allowed individuals and small organizations to disseminate messages directly to voters, unmediated by major news organizations. Citizens must question whether the messages they receive can be trusted. In order to make informed choices, one must identify multiple news sources that one can trust, while being aware that all media outlets have a point of view. CHANGE YOUR ONLINE HABITS SLOW DOWN. BANISH IMPATIENCE AND PASSIVITY ReadoutloudaIGthread. (you’llnoticethatdiscussionsare actuallybeinglostondigital) PREACHING TO THE CHOIR Algorithms use what they know about our habits to post what we like on our newsfeed so that we stay connected and they can sell our attention and time. DISCUSSION GUIDE III 3 2 FAKE NEWS “ Systematically check the news you read, even when it aligns with your point of view ” WHAT IS THE REASON FOR FAKE NEWS? • Fake news may serve a local or national political agenda (eg. cyber bullying, massive disinformation campaigns • Fake news may serve a financial agenda articles online are associated with advertising revenues via services such as Google ads. The more the article is read and shared, the more it pays - the authors are motivated to create “click bait” headlines and sensational articles to attract readers and increase their revenue. • Algorithms & Advertising Our Web browsing history gives lot of information about our tastes, consumption habits, history, gender, age, geographic location, and interests. What we see on social media, on search engine result pages, and the ads we are exposed to are all informed by these data points. HOW DOES FAKE NEWS WORK? • Bad actors use social platforms to post manipulative content. They take advantage of algorithms that are designed to addict us. Facebook and Instagram have strengthened partnerships with factcheckers but their business model incentivizes the spread of fake news. • Emotion and sensationalism the more provocative and shocking an article or image, the more clicks it attracts. Appearance of credibility in design and names/titles (fake accounts are used on social media to dissimenate fake news). Whatdoes“fakenews”meantoyou?Haveyoucomeacrossanexampleoffakenewsrecently,orevensharedone? Whatwasitabout?Havepeoplearoundyouheardaboutit?Howdidyourealizeitwasfakenews? Askstudents Dotheynoticethisphenomenon inthenewsandadvertisements theyseeonline? Who’s behind the news A friend? A stranger? A company? An anonymous person? A political figure? Why are they sharing it? Are they qualified to talk about this subject? • Does the publication respect the code of ethics of journalism and correct its editorial errors transparently? • It is important to be aware of how the media you read is funded. Use lateralreadingtoanswerthesequestions: What evidence do they provide? The proof must come from a reliable source. Some news might appear legitimate with links or sources included, but they must be verified sources. A correlation of events does not imply that there is a causal connection between them Are they hiding a part of the story to make it say something else? (eg. an excerpt of a video can change the meaning without the full context of a depicted situation; an infographic can manipulate data) Does it confirm my pre-existing beliefs and therefore make me believe it? What do other sources say about the person or entity that share(s) this information? • Navigate with a blank open tab to check instantly Use Wikipedia (but this cannot be your only source) Use fact checking sites Identify credible sources and legitimate experts on the subject (while no source is individually reliable, there are relevant and useful resource sites for verifying information, such as Eurostat, ONS, World Bank, OECD, ILO, census.gov) AND EXPOSING MISINFORMATION EXPOSING FAKE NEWS 1 2 3 is skimming the content and checking facts by getting confirmation of the information from other sources. is using critical thinking skills to reflect on the claims made in a story, but not verifying those facts through outside sources. Vertical reading is less effective than lateral reading at spotting fake news. DISCUSSION GUIDE II Beware of the difference between MISINFORMATION and DISINFORMATION THE INTENT. Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is mistakenly or inadvertently created or spread; the intent is not to deceive. Disinformation is false information that is deliberately created and spread in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. Disinformation and Misinformation are powerful weapons: they influence politics, society, culture, and the way we consume. PHOTOGRAPHS READING DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF A PHOTOGRAPH IMAGES CAN MANIPULATE Lookingatthe photograph attheendofthis guide(orthe photographyouhave pasted): -describetheimage, -identifyeach oftheelements below. Informational content What does the image tell you? who? context, details, angle, point of view? background and foreground?) Aesthetic elements How does the image make you feel? (emotions are associated with certain techniques, such as dramatization by light) Iconic or symbolic components (cultural references and tone that allow the interpretation of an image) • “Source” data credit, copyright, distribution channel • Caption date, place, identification of the people represented, and brief context. The scene can be manipulated at the time of the shoot without the reader’s knowledge. Is the scene or portrait staged? Does this matter? What is not in the frame? What is the photograph’s point of view? What might that perspective have hidden from view? Content can be changed after shooting (retouching, cropping) Context can be falsified (date, circumstances) Video can be edited to distort its content (an excerpt can be misleading) Deep fakes are very realistic fusions of two videos through the use of artificial intelligence A photograph is a moment in time. Why was this image the one published? Think about what may have happened before and after the photograph was taken. Why was that moment/image used to tell the story? Slow Down • We see hundreds of images on a daily basis--take a moment to carefully look at the photograph. What do you notice that you might not at first glance? Deep fakes appear so real it is often difficult to tell if they are fake. Yet, subtle movements and some details are hard to reproduce or merge, so check the hair of the person depicted, the movement of their eyes, the direction of the light, and the point between the bodies/ faces and the background. Use Reverse Image Search on Google Explain how to use it using your phone or theirs As with any news, use lateral reading • Who is the author? What media published it? • Check the context, the caption and the original publication Has it been altered (cut, cropped)? Does it appear on several sites, including reliable or legitimate sites? (Often a hoax is referenced, or flagged by social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram.) HOW DO YOU KNOW IF AN IMAGE IS AUTHENTIC? 1 3 4 2 Exercise: Haveaphotographcirculateamong agroupofpersonsandhavethemnote onitwhattheynotice. 1 2 3 4 5 6 DISCUSSION GUIDE IV LOCAL JOURNALISM • ELEVATING THE VOICES AND STORIES OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES • HOLDING THE POWERFUL ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE FOR HARMFUL ACTIONS AND DECISIONS/POLICIES • BRINGING SOCIETAL ILLS TO PUBLIC VIEW • OFFERING THE PUBLIC INFORMATION THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE SELF-GOVERNANCE AND PRESERVING DEMOCRACY Journalism serves an important role by : THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL JOURNALISM Local journalism used to provide an outlet for sharing news and stories of rural areas and small cities, which also helped inform the national news. Over the past several decades we have seen a dramatic defunding and decline in newsrooms and media organizations. Despite this, vibrant and revealing stories about the lives of citizens in rural areas, small cities, and urban neighborhoods happen daily. What do we lose when those stories are not told? Local journalists play a significant role in the community. Without local journalism, there are less checks and balances on local public governance. Have you ever seen members of your community in the news? Why do you think that is? Have big events in your life or your neighborhood ever been shown in the media? On what platforms? How was it covered? MATTER? WHY DOES CHALLENGING STEREOTYPICAL REPRESENTATION Visual storytelling has a unique power to connect audiences emotionally to local issues, creating a common ground for dialogue. Local journalism, and especially visual journalism raises the question of representation : how communities are portrayed. Local voices and perspectives are a way to challenge racial, socioeconomic, and cultural stereotypes and misrepresentations. Today, more and more readers are seeing content that affirms their point of view, rather than news stories that examine diverse sources and offer balanced representation. Local newsrooms can rebuild trust with their audiences by blending in-depth reporting with community engagement. JOURNALISM AT THE SERVICE OF A COMMUNITY Explainedsimply: Whenyou’redirectlyaffected byanissue,youoftenknow alotaboutit.Engagement reportingisaboutgivingthose affectedaplatformtoshare information,experiences, andperspectives. Formoreaboutracisminphotography,see Discussion: 1)Howdoyoufeelyourcommunityisportrayed bythenationalpress?Bythelocalmedia? 2)Whatmediaandreportingyouhaveseenthatrepresents and/ormisrepresentsyouandyourcommunity? 3)Whatvoicesfromyourcommunitydoyouthinkaremissinginthelocalmedia?Whydoyouthinktheyaremissing? The decline in local journalism, and local visual journalism in particular, diminishes the community’s ability to see itself reflected in the news DISCUSSION GUIDE V ProducedbyCatchlight,DysturbandPhotoWings. A FIELD GUIDE TO ( VISUAL ) JOURNALISM ILLUSTRATOR PROTEZ
« I was taught not to exhibit certain behaviors for fear of being a target. I was taught to love those who were different from me and to celebrate the differences between others and myself. I was taught that life was something sacred, given to us by our Creator and that we have no right to take that away from someone else. As I look at the current state of the world, it saddens me that despite all of these efforts, some still see me, and people who look like me as a threat. The cycle of violence and constant disregard for the lives of Black Americans in particular
is not only sad, it’s terrifying. No child should have to fear for their life when they come in contact with a police officer. No woman should feel unsafe while sleeping in her own bed. No man should have to fear for his life simply for being pulled over at a traffic stop. It’s devastating, it’s unfair, and it’s wrong », Jordan McCracken Foster, 18, says. His portrait is part of the series, “The Skin I’m In”, that asks the viewer to consider the dignity of individuals who self-identify as African, African American or from the wider African Diaspora.
CURRICULUM SPECIALIST DAVID MADULI EDITORIAL TEAM LAURENCE CORNET (DYSTURB), JENNY JACKLIN-STRATTON (CATCHLIGHT) DESIGNER JUSTIN MIGNOT ILLUSTRATOR PROTEZ PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATT BLACK, NICOLE BUCHANAN, JULIA GUNTHER, KIANA HAYERI, AND DAVID RODRIGUEZ. These discussion guides were produced by CatchLight Dysturb and PhotoWings.
PHOTO : NICOLE BUCHANAN @ NICOLECBUCHANAN