Class 3:The Psychology & Spread of Fake News

• Discussion Questions

• Why do people believe

fake news?

• Content, effects, and

dissemination of fake news

• Fake News Case Study• In Class Group Project

• Individual Projects Assignments

Discussion Questions

• Explain and describe the 7 causes of post-truth politics

• Explain and describe 5 characteristics of political news content

• Explain and describe the 3 types of political news coverage

• Explain and describe the 3 types of political news biases

Discussion Questions

• Explain and describe

agenda-setting

• Explain and describe

framing

• Explain and describe the

5 practical effects of

political news coverage

6 Factors Contributing to Belief in Fake News

1. Little political knowledge,

interest, and participation

2. Many beliefs not fact-based

3. Selective Processes: people

tend to believe information that

confirms preexisting beliefs &

attitudes

6 Contributing Factors to Belief in Fake News

4. Social (media) network echo

chambers widen partisan

divide

5. Politicians have strong

incentives to reinforce their

positions and attack their

opponents

6. Lack of critical thinking skills

and usage

1A: Stunningly Low Levels of Political Knowledge

• What Americans Know about

Politics and Why It Matters

• Whites, men, and older,

financially secure citizens

have substantially more

knowledge about national

politics than do blacks,

women, young adults, and

financially less- well-off

citizens

1B: Little Political Interest

• Information Costs: Is

Voting Rational?

• About 40% Americans

pay close attention to

politics during

presidential campaigns

1C: Little Political Participation

1C: Little Political Participation

Non-Presidential Turnout Even Lower

2. Beliefs Not Fact-BasedPeople Believe Lies

• 7% of Americans (population of

Pennsylvania) believe chocolate

milk comes from brown cows

• 20% of Americans did not know

hamburger comes from beef

• >50% of Americans believe climate

change will “harm people in the

United States,” but fewer than 40%

believe it will “harm me, personally”

3. Selective Processes: Information Filters

• Interpersonal

communication much more

effective than mediated

communication

• Media effects limited by

selective processes

• Selective Exposure

• Selective Attention

• Selective Perception

3. Selective Processes Confirmation Bias

• Information from media more likely to reinforce than reverse attitudes

• Attitude change slow, incremental process

• Confirmation bias occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. When people would like a certain idea/concept to be true, they end up believing it to be true.

3. Confirmation Bias Example

• July 4, 2017: Independence

Day Battle

• NPR: 30-year tradition of

reading Declaration of

Independence on air

• 2017: tweeted Declaration in

140-character bits

• People who view NPR as left-

wing fake news attacked

network for urging revolution

4. Social Networks: Echo Chamber

• Offline social networks even more so than online networks, reinforce preexisting beliefs, attitudes, and values

• Groups amplify those preexisting views with cascading effects widening the partisan/ideological divide

• More and more sure of our opinions based on constant reinforcement

5. Politicians’ Incentives to Reinforce Beliefs

• Benefits politicians to

demonize opponents and

those broadcasting critical

opinions

• Reinforce their position and

attack opponents

• Fake News, or similar

phrases, used by many

presidents to discredit critical

coverage

6. Lack of analytic or critical thinking

• People are overwhelmed with information

• Humans are cognitive misers

• We use source credibility, confirmation bias, familiarity, and other shortcuts to evaluate information

• Different sources have different levels of credibility for different people

4 Factors Causing Spread of Fake News

1. Internet disrupted media ecosystem: • Democratized journalism:

anyone can create and publish content

• Multiplied information sources: exponential growth in information

• Gatekeepers disappearing• Demand for content

insatiable: 24/7/365 on innumerable channels

Factors Causing Spread of Fake News

2. Motives and means for

creating fake news

cheaper and more

readily available

• Fake news entrepreneurs

in Eastern Europe and the

U.S.

• New technologies for

distorting news logos, text,

and videos

Factors Causing Spread of Fake News

3. Social media

• Eliminated geographic

boundaries among partisans

or people with niche beliefs

• Algorithms radically

altered information

distribution

4. Belief in Fake News leads

to sharing fake news spiral

• Familiarity builds credibility

Fake News Case Study Assignments

1. Write a 500-1,000-word

essay

2. Create and deliver 4-6-

minute presentation on

your essay with visual

slides

1. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/10/trump-protests-intensify-as-doubts-swirl-about-spontaneity.html

2. https://www.snopes.com/anti-trump-protesters-bused-into-austin/

Fake News Case Study Essay

• Classic five-paragraph

essay format

1. Introduction

2. Main Point

3. Main Point

4. Main Point

5. Conclusion

Introduction

1. Attention-getting hook

2. Provide context for the specific story analyzed

3. Answer the big 6 questions about the fake news story

• Who is it about; What does it claim; Where did the story take place; When

did it take place; Why did the event happen and/or why did the person take

the alleged action; How did the event occur or the person do something?

4. Thesis statement: the purpose of this essay/presentation is to

analyze …

5. Preview statement: end introduction with preview of main points

Body

1. Source • Who wrote it?

• Where was it posted/published?

• Why or among whom is it believable?

• Evaluations of writer and publication

2. Content • Verbal content: text, words; grammar, punctuation, spelling; framing or bias

• Visual content: images, design & layout of story

• Evaluations of content

3. Dissemination & Intended Effects• How and where did the story spread?

• Why did the story spread?

• What were the intended effects of the story?

• Evaluations of story spread and intended effects

How to Evaluate Sources

• Is the publication/website reputable and credible? How do you know?

• What does the “About Us” section of the website tell you?

• What do the Google results tell you about the publication, website, author?

• What are the results when you search for the site on Media Bias/Fact Check?

• Does the URL reveal anything about the source?

• Is the website listed on the Fake News Website Listing spreadsheets?

• How many red flags did the source receive on the 10 Questions for Fake News Detection worksheet?

How to Evaluate Content

1. Verbal content: • Are the big 6 questions answered clearly?

• Are there issues with the grammar, spelling, or punctuation?

• Are there links or references to original or other reputable sources?

• What do Snopes, Politifact, or other fact-checking websites tell you about the claims in this story?

2. Visual content: • Can you verify images through Google image search?

• Is the website designed professionally – or is it cluttered and unprofessional? & layout of story

Evaluate Dissemination & Intended Effects

• How and where did the story spread?

• Search for story on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

• How many relevant Google results return when searching the story?

• Why did the story spread?

• What about the story made it spreadable?

• Infer motivations for spreading the story: political, personal, financial

• What were the intended effects of the story?

• Why was this story created/published/spread?

• Did the story achieve its goal – why or why not?

Conclusion

• Summarize main points

• Source

• Content

• Dissemination and Intended Effects

• Explain why this analysis is important in a larger context

• End memorably: tie-back to attention-getting hook or bring

logical and psychological closure in some other effective

way

In Class Group Project

• Group 1: Jimmy Kimmel’s Sexual Misconduct

• Group 2: Comey Sued for Helping Terrorists

• Group 3: Michael Flynn’s Russia Testimony

• Group 4: Congress Consults Psych Prof @Trump

• Group 5: Trump Chokes Cop

• Group 6: Stephen Miller’s Hand Signal