What the...? Are you sure that's real?

Looking for a quick way to find out if that weird news story is true or not?

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bear-attack-photo/

Try 

www.snopes.com

Snopes.com investigates loads of internet claims and can tell you if they are true or not. Cut and paste the title of a news article or the text around an image you are not sure of and see if they have investigated it. If they have, they will tell you if it is true, false, or if they can't find enough information to say either way. They will also share with you the source of their information.

Fake News - a spotters guide #5

Is that a big number? Compared to what?

Image credit: BuzzFeed

Numbers are strange things - they don't mean anything unless you can compare them to something else.

Welcome to the zombie apocalypse...

The zombie apocalypse has started, and you have a choice - try to survive here in Australia, or try to survive in America.

By these numbers, it looks like Australia is much safer - fewer zombies.
But how many healthy people are in each country to help you fight?

Where will you make your stand?

Inspired by:
Fontichiaro, K., Oehrli, A. and Hoff, T. (2017). Real strategies to address fake news. Retrieved 7 May, 2018, from http://datalit.sites.uofmhosting.net/2017/06/28/ala-poster-data-literacy-strategies-for-addressing-fake-news/

Fake News - a spotters guide #4

Correlation ≠ Causation

Correlation is when 2 things seem to be linked because statistically they change at about the same rate.

e.g. statistically more people get sunburned at the times of the year when more people are eating ice cream.

Correlation does not equal causation.

Just because more people are getting sunburnt when they are eating ice cream does not mean the ice cream is causing sunburn!

Image credit: Megapixl

Adapted from:

Fontichiaro, K., Oehrli, A. and Hoff, T. (2017). Real strategies to address fake news. Retrieved 7 May, 2018, from http://datalit.sites.uofmhosting.net/2017/06/28/ala-poster-data-literacy-strategies-for-addressing-fake-news/

Fake News - a spotters guide #3

Sounds too good to be true? It probably is!

Image credit: Guy Downes

Fake news is really good at telling you what you want to hear.

You want to loose weight without doing exercise or cutting down on all the yummy food that you know deep down is bad for you? There will be a website that tells you how. But that doesn't mean it will work!

Be very wary of articles or websites that promise things that you really want to believe - especially if there are other sources telling you the opposite.

Did a little deeper and ask yourself:

• Who has written this?  What do they stand to gain if you believe what they are saying?
• Have they backed up their claims with evidence you can trust?
• Have they told you the whole story?

Adapted from:

Fontichiaro, K., Oehrli, A. and Hoff, T. (2017). Real strategies to address fake news. Retrieved 7 May, 2018, from http://datalit.sites.uofmhosting.net/2017/06/28/ala-poster-data-literacy-strategies-for-addressing-fake-news/

Fake News - a spotters guide #2

Sponsored content. What am I buying?

Ok, it's easy to spot banner ads at the top of website, but a lot of advertising is more subtle.

So called ‘native ads’ are designed to match the look and feel of the website you are viewing. Advertisers say it is to stop you feeling like you are being interrupted like a TV commercial. In reality it simply makes it harder for you to know when someone is marketing to you and when it is the information you are looking for (iCubeWire, 2015).

Some things to look out for:

• Ads at the top of your Google results list:

• Suggested posts

• Sponsored articles

Image credit:  Baer, D. (n.d.).

Bibliography

Baer, D. (n.d.). Engage your ideal audience with native advertising. Retrieved 7 May 2018, from: https://baeronmarketing.com/engage-your-ideal-audience-with-native-advertising/

iCubesWire. (2015). Native Ads – Moving ahead of conventional ad formats in affiliate marketing. Retrieved 7 May 2018, from http://www.icubeswire.com/blog/native-ads-moving-ahead-of-conventional-ad-formats-in-affiliate-marketing/