Does the #Truth matter anymore?

Truth & Technology

In a Guardian article, Katherine Viner asks: In an age where social media news reporting has dominated over media institutions, and everyone has their facts, ‘does the truth matter any more?’

Source: Sébastien Thibault

Technology is rapidly developing. This isn’t necessarily good or bad. But what is worrying is whether or not we have the skills to adapt to it. In an age where attention, clicks, and data are the new economy, less than 40% of us actually go further than the headline, and read the article.

#Brexit: Fact vs. Fiction

After the Brexit referendum and months of campaigning, the Leave campaign that thrived on fears about immigration and cost of EU membership, backtracked on their promises. Nigel Farage stated that the £350m NHS budget promise was a ‘mistake’ while Tory MEP Daniel Hannan also admitted that immigration numbers would likely stay the same. The Remain campaign attempted to fight these with ‘facts’, but given the results, the truth didn’t matter.

Source: Stefan Rousseau

Technology has allowed information like this to circulate a whole lot faster and reach more people. Technology isn’t just affecting journalism, it’s shaping the public and politics as well.

So what can you do?

This doesn’t mean you should stop trusting the media. In fact, discrediting the media is part of the problem. The role of media organisations is standing between an informed public and a misguided mob.

We can start by engaging in critical reading and cross-referencing facts. Here are some questions you ask:

1. Who/What is the source? Do they have a reputation for being biased?
2. What is beyond the actual article about?
3. Do those claims have links to reputable sources? Sometimes articles will link you to another article without sources, this is how misinformation spreads.
4. Do you have any biases that are affecting your own judgement? Have you already decided on what you believe before reading?

 

-Maria