Use this page to learn about how to be information and media literate
Be like a professional fact checker and employ lateral reading! Lateral reading helps you verify what you're reading as you read it. Lateral reading helps you determine an author’s credibility, intent and biases by searching for articles on the same topic by other writers (to see how they are covering it)and for other articles by the author you’re checking on. Check out more: News Literacy Project Lateral Reading
|
Term | Definition |
Misinformation | incorrect or misleading information-Merriam-Webster Dictionary |
Disinformation | false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth - Merriam-Webster Dictionary |
Fake News | "Fake news" is "fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent. Fake-news outlets, in turn, lack the news media's editorial norms and processes for ensuring the accuracy and credibility of information. [David M. J. Lazer, et al., "The Science of Fake News," Science 09 Mar 2018: Vol. 359, Issue 6380, pp. 1094-1096.]. - Cornell University |
Bias | a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly.-Merriam Webster Dictionary |
Confirmation Bias |
the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs. This biased approach to decision making is largely unintentional and often results in ignoring inconsistent information.-Britannica.com |
Web search engine algorithms | How Search Algorithms Work |
Q: What is ChatGPT?
A: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligent chatbot created by the artificial intelligent research company, OpenAI.
Q: What can ChatGPT do?
A. ChatGPT can answer questions and create responses based on previous input using human style conversation. It creates responses by pulling in data from a variety of sources across the internet. But, it cannot generate information from anything past 2021.
Q: Can I trust the responses that ChatGPT gives me?
A. The information ChatGPT may SEEM reliable but that's only because it produces its responses based on what people have said before. HOWEVER, the information ChatGPT provides has not been vetted. ChatGPT is not able to discern fact from fiction or truth from lies. In fact, if you ask ChatGPT for quotes and/or citations it can MAKE THEM UP.
Q. What should I do if I need to use ChatGPT to help me with an assignment?
A. If you are using ChatGPT to gather information, you will need to verify the information it is providing for you. This means engaging in SIFT/ lateral reading and checking verified sources such as, academic journal articles or a variety of established and trusted news sources.