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The Post-Truth Era
Analysis by Alexa Dadson Historically, political decisions and debates have been informed by widely agreed-upon facts. However, as people increasingly use social media as a news source, and as journalistic institutions turn to sensationalism in order to compete, trust in sources formerly considered to be credible is decaying. Research institutions are accused of having political objectives or bias, adding to the widespread distrust. Disagreements over historical or scientific facts take up more time in political discussions than discourse about solutions to issues. This combination of factors has created a âpost-truth eraâ characterized by a deteriorating consensus around public truth claims. Post-truth denotes âcircumstances in which objective facts are less influential…
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Media Literacy Toolkit
The founders of the United States knew an educated public would be key to the strength of a democratic republic. The creation of the First Amendment ensured citizens would have access to the information needed to make good decisions about their representatives and policies. At Mormon Women for Ethical Government, all of our advocacy and education efforts flow from our Principles of Ethical Government, and this is also true of media literacy. These principles include the idea that, âAll individuals have a duty to educate themselves about the actions of government officials and current events in the world, taking care to ascertain facts from reliable sources of information.â Knowing where…
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Misinformation and Disinformation â a Toolkit
Misinformation and disinformation have grown exponentially since Election Day. There are so many false claims that itâs difficult to address them all individually. We at MWEG want to provide you with the resources you need to fact-check and address misinformation as you see it. Below you will find: A list of reputable fact-checking websites that may help you as you seek truth and address disinformation in your own sphere of influence. Information about the election process from trusted national sources. Links to swing state news outlets, which are often more trusted than the national news media. State election office website links. Local election officials have been doing their best to…
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Media Literacy: How to Address Misinformation on Social Media
Why should we call out misinformation? Social media has become a powerful tool for the dissemination of disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories related to current events. This causes division, confusion, and contention among friends, family members, and neighbors. It impedes our ability to make well-informed judgments as citizens. MWEG is working hard to educate people about how to identify quality news sources; however, a more challenging aspect of media literacy is learning how to address and respond to friends and family members who share misinformation. This is an emotionally fraught and taxing issue, and there are no easy answers. How should we do it? According to the MWEG Principles of…
