Free speech is in permanent crisis – or so some would have you believe. Complaints that freedom of speech is under attack come mostly from the political right; public figures who appear to the naked eye to be extremely free to say and do what they like, and see no irony in doing so via platforms with vast audiences.
The Guardian
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection, but it's also preventable thanks to the vaccine Gardasil-9. Yet online, misinformation runs rampant about the vaccine, which is also known for historic drops in cancer.
USA Today
As billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency scours federal agencies for cost savings, Musk and his team have repeatedly made baseless or false claims about government spending—or exaggerated the level of fraud and waste uncovered at some agencies.
Forbes
A White House official said Friday that the Associated Press – an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting since 1846 – will be prevented from having reporters attend events, a prohibition that could severely limit the news organization’s ability to cover the administration.
The Washington Post
Meta’s recent decision to end its third-party fact-checking program has reignited fears about misinformation’s growing influence. The move reflects a broader trend among social media giants: stepping away from content moderation in favor of engagement-driven algorithms.
Forbes
Activist groups have sued Elon Musk's social media platform X in a Berlin court, accusing it of breaking European law by not giving them the information they need to track disinformation online ahead of Germany's Feb. 23 national election.
Reuters
Vaccination rates among schoolchildren in Arizona have steadily declined since 2012, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the drop across the state. The trend is unlikely to reverse any time soon, which could result in serious health consequences for Arizonans in the future, experts fear.
Cronkite News
Andrea Rivera remembers when a friend told her that the state of California was planning to become its own country. She quickly searched through state government web sites, finding clarification for the post her friend had seen.
Stocktonia
A new report that surveyed residents of small towns across Canada says a lack of local news outlets weakens community ties and affects people’s understanding of how government, schools and hospitals function.
Toronto Star
Far-right populists are significantly more likely to spread fake news on social media than politicians from mainstream or far-left parties, according to a study which argues that amplifying misinformation is now part and parcel of radical right strategy.
The Guardian
As the senior administrator, Gladys Williams makes sure everyone is well fed, well entertained, well exercised — and well informed. In recent years, “well informed” has become more challenging, as older Americans get inundated by misinformation and disinformation aimed at scamming them, scaring them — or both.
The Washington Post
Phoenix ABC-TV affiliate ABC15, Scripps News, and the E.W. Scripps Company are teaming up with the News Literacy Project for the sixth annual News Literacy Week. In a world with an overwhelming media landscape, we know this is more important than ever.
ABC15 News Arizona
It only takes seconds for misinformation to be posted and shared on social media. The consequences of that were seen in real-time following the shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl rally last year. Denton Loudermill Jr. was falsely labeled as the shooter.
KSHB-TV 41 Kansas City
The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) has honored Cronkite School assistant teaching professor Celeste Sepessy with its Media Literacy Higher Education Teacher Award—recognition for her deep commitment and significant contributions to the field.
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism
Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. This course is titled, ‘Investigating the Paranormal.’
The Conversation
Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, is in a difficult position — on the outs with President Trump, a new administration and his former friend Elon Musk. He was one of the important tech bros not on the President's inauguration stage. Why?
National Public Radio
The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated a vast landscape of misinformation about many topics, science and health chief among them. Since then, information overload continues unabated, and many people are rightfully confused by an onslaught of conflicting health information. Even expert advice is often contradictory.
The Conversation
The Philippines launched a comic book last week to counter what the country says is China’s disinformation campaign to push its expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The Associated Press
It is no understatement to say that social media has dramatically altered the news landscape, often degrading civic discourse into a battleground of misinformation. Young people, who spend much of their lives online, are thrown into this complex world without the necessary tools to navigate the falsehoods and conspiracy theories that crowd out the facts.
USA TODAY
