There are many great workshops and webinars about misinformation and disinformation. Here are a few that tie together nicely.
Fact or Fiction? How Misinformation Divides Us
In the first, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association provides us with a perspective on how misinformation divides us. The second, part of a campaign from Canadian NGO Journalists for Human Rights, provides verification tips for individuals to better understand how to determine what information is real vs. fake and combat the spread of online manipulation. The third, outlines what fake news is, from a journalists perspective, and how to deal with it. The final, presented at the Institute on Governance's recent Digital Directions online conference, illustrates what happens when we are not aware of or deal effectively with misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
The Internet has created a platform for people to express themselves and spread information well beyond local or national borders - the "news" is no longer written only by well-known media outlets or credentialed journalists. While this means that voices that were previously ignored are now being heard, it also allows for the spread of misinformation far and wide (and fast)! This workshop will look at the problem of online misinformation and how it can polarize and divide us - attracting some to fundamentalist and frequently racist positions.
Cara Zwibel is a lawyer and director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. She graduated from McGill University with a degree in Political Science, from Osgoode Hall Law School with a law degree, and from New York University with a Master of Laws degree.
Information Saves Lives: Verifying Online Information
People in Canada are bombarded with information 24/7, much of which is consumed online. It is vital that the public is able to critically assess and recognize misinformation and disinformation online, and avoid online manipulation, especially today with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading worldwide. This online webinar will cover verification tips for individuals to better understand how to determine what information is real vs. fake and combat the spread of online manipulation. This webinar was delivered by Geoff Leo of CBC Saskatchewan.
Fake vs. Fact Journalism Workshop Part 1: An Introduction to Fake News
Do you want to help fight misinformation and disinformation in your communities? This webinar provided insight from Journalist Susana Mas about how to fact-check claims and analyze the credibility of online news sources. Presented as part of a series of workshops for immigrant journalists on factchecking and “fake news.” She "recommended that people create a checklist of questions they must answer before deciding to share a post. She said that we should ask ourselves questions like, who’s sharing this information, do you trust them and what’s the original source? It is important to consider the source of the information itself and not just the person who has presented that information to you, because while you might trust the person sharing the post, you might not trust their sources. [She also] stressed the importance of viewing media like pictures and videos with a critical lens, even seemingly-innocent things like memes."
The Prevalence and Threat of Disinformation: Detection, Assessment and Response
Keynote Speaker Thomas Grandjouan from EU DisinfoLab for his presentation: The Prevalence and Threat of Disinformation: Detection, Assessment and Response. It's a bit of an eye opener...