Author: Jim Boren
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Fake News 101: Here’s the difference between ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation.’ We also discuss how ‘bots’ drive false news on social media.
We spend much of our time at the Institute for Media and Public Trust studying misinformation and disinformation that is shared on social media, and part of our mission is to empower news consumers with the tools to spot false content. We learned in 2020 that this quest remains a major challenge in our society.…
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Fresno training program created to increase the number of journalists of color in San Joaquin Valley newsrooms
We believe that America’s newsrooms should reflect the diversity of the communities that they cover. Unfortunately, that’s mostly not the case, and we at the Institute for Media and Public Trust are working with partner organizations to launch a program that will mentor young journalists of color. The goal is to increase the diversity in…
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Fresno State’s Joseph I. Castro, an early supporter of our Media Institute, named chancellor of the 23-campus California State University system
The Board of Trustees of the California State University system selected the next CSU chancellor on Tuesday to succeed Timothy P. White, who is retiring at the end of the year. Fresno State President Joseph Castro will become chancellor in January after seven years leading the university. Dr. Castro was an early supporter of our…
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Pandemic and election offer those pushing misinformation opportunity to confuse public with fake news posted to phony social media accounts
News consumers have a huge challenge today sorting through fake news and misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Nov. 3 presidential election. Even in normal times, fake news has been ever growing through social media, phony news sites and other technological devices created to mislead the public about basic facts. But the pandemic and…
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Targeting journalists won’t stop them from reporting full story about protests over George Floyd’s death
Every May 3, World Press Freedom Day is celebrated internationally. It’s a day set aside to recognize the importance of an independent press around the world, and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives doing their jobs. The day is mostly aimed at authoritarian regimes, which regularly jail journalists and shut down…
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Don’t be misled by those who are pushing dangerous misinformation about coronavirus pandemic
It is not surprising that with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are those who are attempting to use this crisis to spread misinformation, “phish” for personal information to rip people off and push conspiracy theories about all sorts of dark motives for the virus taking hold across the globe. One of the reasons we created the…
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In times of crisis, we need journalists giving us facts and guiding us to resources that will help us cope
I have appreciated the many news outlets that have been giving me important and useful information about the coronavirus in my community, as well as those that have been informing me about what’s going on nationally and internationally. Early in this crisis, we heard many people and some politicians saying this was an “emergency” manufactured…
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Use these tips and you won’t be caught sharing ‘fake news’ on social media
Concerned about fake news? Here are eight smart ways to determine if the news content you are seeing on your digital device is legitimate. Look past your personal biases. This is crucial in sorting out news content. We often believe the worst about people or politicians we despise. Those biases can blind us to what…
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In this digital age, too many lack even the most basic media literacy tools
We’ve been spending a lot of time discussing media literacy and fake news in our advanced reporting classes at Fresno State, and my students have been working to increase their skills in identifying phony news content and evaluating the veracity of other sites they encounter online. But as these students gain knowledge on the subject,…
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Boot camp for journalists offers intensive training on California water issues
At the end of our water boot camp for journalists on Friday, participants left thinking about a variation of this theme: “California water policy: It’s complicated.” But after nine intensive workshops throughout the day, most said they are now better prepared to cover water issues in the Golden State. The boot camp at Fresno State…
Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State 