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Fact or fiction ?
New handbook helps to counter an age of fake news .
Eryn Newman interviewed by Wade Zaglas
The phenomenon of “ fake news ” has
been around since journalism first began , but the term itself and the power it can now yield has been linked with the ascendency of Donald Trump , threats to democracy and a post-truth world where facts – in some circles at least – don ’ t seem to matter .
But now a powerful new tool exists to combat either misinformation or disinformation – the Debunking Handbook 2020 . Penned by Dr Eryn Newman from the Australia National University , as well as 21 other prominent scholars , the handbook aims to “ inoculate ” citizens , teachers and students against misleading information before it ’ s encountered .
The handbook is informed by both science and psychology and provides a host of definitions ( eg disinformation versus misinformation ) as well as concise explanations about why “ fake news ” tends to stick . One of the most common explanations involves familiarity : the more an individual encounters false information , the more inclined they are to believe it .
The handbook also contains a step-bystep guide for encountering fake news , which can provide teachers and students with a formulaic way to confidently refute the veracity of a piece of information . Another valuable section focuses on lateral searches for the truth - that is , expanding one ’ s truth-finding exercise from one source to many .
CR : Was there anything about 2020 in particular that convinced you and your colleagues to release a handbook about debunking fake news ? Have we reached a new low ? EN : I think we ’ d all agree in 2020 we ’ ve seen pretty serious and immediate damage as a result of misinformation on a huge scale . We ’ re saying really that misinformation can lead people to ignore public health messages , which we ’ ve seen had huge application for individuals but also the communities that they live in .
There ’ s a huge literature on misinformation in the research field of psychology and allied fields . The idea here was to really get together as a group of scientists who specialise in this area and create a kind of consensus document based on the science of misinformation and what we know .
What kinds of subjects or strategies does the handbook cover ? We talk a little bit about the mechanisms that make people vulnerable in terms of
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