IF I APPLY - a source evaluation tool: WVLA 2022

Eryn Roles, Research and Instruction Librarian, Marshall University

Sabrina Thomas, Head of Research and Instruction Services, Marshall University 

After years of political turmoil and a few pandemics, librarians continue to understand that mis- and disinformation are alive and well. Research and Instruction librarians Eryn Roles and Sabrina Thomas’s research reveals many threats, such as cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias, lack of critical thinking skills, and just plain hard-headedness, which increasingly weakens our democracy. Propaganda, digital manipulation, and sensationalism in media are adversaries of information literacy, especially in a post-pandemic political landscape. The informed citizen is paramount for a healthy democracy, and providing information literacy instruction assists in supporting students and faculty with a critical mindset, good judgment, and courage. Overcoming unhealthy information-seeking patterns is challenging, and librarians are at the forefront of helping students develop these necessary information literacy skills. This session will provide a thoughtful space for questions and discussion about best practices within the classroom. Eryn and Sabrina will also provide a resource list to continue to address the issues surrounding mis- and disinformation. This list will continue to be updated, edited, and available for further contributions.

Misinformation - "information that is false, but not created with the intention of causing harm,”

Disinformation - “false and deliberately created to harm a person, social group, organization or country.”

Fake News - "could be understood as a type of disinformation, or “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting"

Definitions taken from First Draft News*

Deepfakes

Deepfakes are a new and particularly challenging type of audio, video, or image disinformation, generally used in malicious ways. They have the potential to spread false words and actions to a global audience rapidly and can be extremely difficult to distinguish from real content. 

What are deepfakes? Quoting Merriam-Webster, "The term deepfake is typically used to refer to a video that has been edited using an algorithm to replace the person in the original video with someone else (especially a public figure) in a way that makes the video look authentic." 

Suggested readings to understand deepfake technology: 

• "What are deepfakes and how are they created?" from IEEE Spectrum Magazine
• "What are deepfakes and how can you spot them?" from the Guardian 
• "Deepfakes are going to reak havoc on society. We are not prepared." from Forbes Magazine 

Test yourself and learn to spot deepfake photos:

• "Which face is real?" developed by Jevin West and Carl Bergstrom at the University of Washington as part of the Calling Bullshit project.