Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. It has become a necessity in modern culture, providing powerful tools to decipher meaning and be discriminating as we engage with technology. It’s also imperative to ensuring children’s safety in uncharted media territories, like the digital realm.

Although we have not yet realized the true potential of artificial intelligence, the future holds strong possibilities for more sophisticated tools to harness the power of AI, big data, and machine learning to stop fake news. As the volume of data grows, so does the chance of handling misinformation that challenges both the machine and human ability to uncover the truth.

While attention has focused on foreign attempts to influence U.S. election results, actors like Russia and Iran are not the only worries. Domestic actors may pose an even bigger threat.

Gun control. Immigration. Abortion. Many of the world’s most pressing disputes have been labeled eternally enigmatic. Are we meant to surrender, allowing problems to exponentially worsen because society’s brilliant minds can’t reach consensus? What if there were right answers? What if they’ve been under our noses all this time, and we’ve been too busy trying to prove ourselves right to notice?

If the 2016 election was any indication, professional journalists need to do better when it comes to reporting the news. Readers are the first line of defense against the dissemination of bogus reports. So, how do you spot a fake? Context is key.

Tech giants like Facebook and Google are increasingly under scrutiny for supporting and benefiting from the “fake news economy.” Meanwhile, legitimate local news organizations, which often rely on similar ad-supported infrastructure for their livelihoods, are suffering. What is the role of consumers and advertisers in this complex ecosystem?