Communication Skills Enhancement

School of Public Policy - First Year BAGA

Lesson 2: Fake News & ‘Filter Bubbles’

By the end of today’s class, you will:
● Have an overview of ‘fake news’
● Learn about our news ‘filter bubbles’
The 24 Hour News Cycle
● Race to report first
● Professional journalists and citizen journalists
#frida
On 19 September 2017, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City
● The Enrique Rebsamen school collapsed
● There were reports of a girl alive inside the destroyed school
● News reporters gathered to watch the rescue efforts
○ Some reports said that the girl was found with thermal cameras
○ She was with five other children
○ She had spoken to rescuers and been sent water
● A reporter for Televisa, the city’s largest news network, interviewed
rescuers on camera.
○ They spoke of the girl’s health
○ One had heard her voice. ““Yes, some very faint voices of a girl, apparently called Sofi,”
Artemio said. “I asked, ‘Your name?’ She said, ‘Sofi, Sofi’” (Noticieros Televisacom, 2017).

Inspiration taken from Fact vs. Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde and Darren Hudgens
#frida (Part 2)
21 September.

“Associated Press (AP) quoted another rescue worker with a similar story. The
New York Times (…) published the report: “Rescue worker (…) said ‘the girl is
alive, she has vital signs,” and that “five more children had been located alive.
‘There is a basement where they found children.’ (Associated Press, 2017)”

“Helmeted workers spotted the girl buried in the debris early Wednesday
and shouted to her to move her hand if she could hear. (…) One rescuer told
local media he had talked to the girl, who said her name was Frida”
(Associated Press, 2017).”

Inspiration taken from Fact vs. Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde and Darren Hudgens
“Russian warship, go ---- yourself.”
24 February 2022

The Russian flagship Moskva [“Moscow”] assaulted Snake Island, a small

Ukrainian island in the Black Sea. The island was defended by 13 border guards.

[Show video]

Inspiration taken from Fact vs. Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde and Darren Hudgens
“Russian warship, go ---- yourself.”
24 February 2022

The Russian flagship Moskva [“Moscow”] assaulted Snake Island, a small Ukrainian
island in the Black Sea. The island was defended by 13 border guards.

● “Russian warship: "Snake Island, I, Russian warship, repeat the offer: put

down your arms and surrender, or you will be bombed. Have you understood
me? Do you copy?"
● Ukrainian 1 to Ukrainian 2: "That's it, then. Or, do we need to ---- them back
off?"
● Ukrainian 2 to Ukrainian 1: "Might as well."
● Ukrainian 1: "Russian warship, go ---- yourself."
Translation from Abramovich, Alex (28 March 2022). "Иди Hаxуй". London Review of Books. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

Inspiration taken from Fact vs. Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde and Darren Hudgens
The speed of disinformation
“In the March 9, 2018 issue of Science, a team from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shared its analysis of
over 126,000 news stories Tweeted by over 3 million users. The team
found that on average, “it took the truth about six times as long as
falsehood to reach 1,500 people” (Fox, 2018)”

Inspiration taken from Fact vs. Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde and Darren Hudgens
Discussion
● Is #frida fake news or inaccurate reporting?
● Is “Russian warship (…) fake news or inaccurate reporting?
● Are these stories what people call “fake news”?
● “Is there a difference between getting facts wrong and being intentionally
deceptive?”
● “Why do so many people fall for stories that turn out to be false?”

Inspiration taken from Fact vs. Fiction by Jennifer Lagarde and Darren Hudgens