University Of California Los Angeles Week 3 Editorials & Media Literacy Discussion

Week 3 Friday Discussion Posts:

Part I: Editorials & Media Literacy

Instructions:

Please read the article first: “How the Internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth  

Answer the following questions as a way to check your comprehension and analysis:

1. The writer says that online news has not been a “boon for democracy.”  What are some examples he gives from earlier elections to show this? (10 points)
2. What does the writer say is the root of the problem with news online?  Why does it cause trouble? (10 points) 
3. How and why, according to some, are we “gorging” on information that confirms our ideas, and “shunning” what does not? (10 points) 
4. Why don’t we tend to believe documentary evidence of what we see?  What examples does this writer give from the current election to show how we filter it through our own biases? (10 points) 
5. Why are fact-checking sites “largely ineffective against a tide of fakery”?  What could be our next step in fighting against misinformation? (10 points)