HOMEWORK: MEDIA MISINFORMATION

1. Author or Media Producer

Part of assessing the credibility of a source is assessing the credibility of the author. Write 1–2 sentences to address the following questions:

· Use a search engine to research the author. Where do they work and what is their education?

· Is the author a researcher in this field?

· Has the author been published in other journals?

1. Publisher – Organization or Sponsor

Credibility is also dependent on the publisher of the article. There are many ways to publish articles these days, such as organizations, sponsors, academic journals, and more. Write 1-2 sentences to address the following prompts:

· Who is the publisher?

· What else do they publish? This should be located on their website.

· What evidence do you have to trust this publisher?

· As a rule, it is best to avoid public websites, which end in .com. Does this media end in .org (professional organization), .edu (educational organization), or .gov (government agency)?

1. Point of View or Bias

Credible resources generally support an idea, but the idea should not derive from bias. Write 1–2 sentences to address potential bias.

· Does the author seem biased?

· Does the publisher have an obvious bias, such as political or philosophical agendas?

1. Intended Audience

Audience is fundamental to the credibility of a resource because the author will be writing directly to this audience. Write 1–2 sentences addressing the audience of the resource.

· Who is the audience? For example, is the audience a knowledgeable and professional audience in the field, or is the audience a general audience?

1. Content

Accuracy of content should be determined before the information is disseminated to others. Write 1–2 sentences to address the accuracy of the content.

· Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda?

· On what did you base your answer?

· How do you know if the content is accurate?

1. Currency

Research changes and evolves all the time; therefore, current articles are more credible than dated articles. Exceptions to this include articles and concepts that are foundational to a field of study. Write 1–2 sentences addressing the currency of the article.

· Is this information current?

· Is this a resource that is frequently updated, or is this a static resource?