Spotting misinformation still a concern

The Front Page

Morning Update

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

By Ken Tingley

This was a good group with lots of good questions.

I had just finished my presentation as part of the Dr. Norman A. Enhorning Lecture & Lunch Series at SUNY Adirondack on Tuesday and it was time for the question and answer session.

One man asked how to spot misinformation online. It was a great question and one that I addressed regularly when I was editor of The Post-Star.

That morning I had read a Spectrum News report that provided a very simple suggestion: Read more than one news source.

Mary Miller, the educational services director at the New York Newspaper Foundation, regularly goes around the state talking to students about media and misinformation.

“The best advice that I can give anyone is to consume more media than you traditionally do,” Miller told Susan Arbetter on Capital Tonight. “To consume multiple venues of media is helpful because then you can check one against the other.”

She also recommended getting news from professional journalists and outlets. It seems like a simple thing, but in these days when anyone can write anything online, it is good advice.

Surveys have regularly shown that consumers of news often trust local news outlets like The Post-Star and the Albany Times Union far more than national news outlets. In retirement, I read three different newspapers.

Miller pointed out that neither Tucker Carlson nor Trevor Noah are professional journalists and believes both should be treated as entertainers.

“There is a journalism code of ethics that infotainment individuals don’t necessarily have to follow,” Miller told Arbetter.

Essentially, providing inaccurate information will get you fired if you are a professional journalist.

I added my own advice to the questioner. I said that over the years as an editor I developed a pretty good “BS meter.” If something sounded too incredible to be true, I found it usually wasn’t true, especially when it was coming from a politician on social media.

I find I regularly fact-check things I’m told because they don’t sound right. Unfortunately, I fear most people are inclined to pass on “what they heard” rather than to see if it is actually true.

I also suggested online fact-checkers such as Politifact.com and Snopes.com. Both provide nonpartisan and detailed fact-checks on a variety of subjects.

For all of us to be good citizens we have to consume more media and bring a healthy dose of skepticism to what we hear. It would be nice if we could be more open-minded as well.

“You just want to make sure that your’re getting it from somebody that that’s what they’re paid to do,” Miller said.

Finally, another woman asked we what I thought of Fox News.

I told her that for the most part I don’t watch any of the prime time evening cable shows. I consider them entertainment so I don’t put much stock in them as a source of serious news. If they want a good dose of news, I recommended PBS Newshour for its in-depth reporting, no commercials and non-partisan reporting.

It was a great audience and turnout at SUNY Adirondack on Tuesday.

Guest lecture

My guest lecture at SUNY Adirondack was the first time I had ever spoken for a full hour. Thankfully, I brought along a slide show.

There were more than 30 in attendance and I want to welcome all those that signed up for this newsletter. I hope you comment and interact with my columns on a regular basis. Share it with your friends and let me know what you think.

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