On Nov. 4, the day after the election, the Milwaukee City Wire inaccurately reported that more votes were cast in seven wards in the city than there were registered voters. Right-wing pundits and conspiracy theorists rushed to tweet the story, and retweet those tweets. Fox’s Sean Hannity weighed in. Some down-the-middle journalists also followed suit. But USA Today found the … [Read more...] about Pseudo news outlets push false claims around election
misinformation
Local media outlets should be on frontline of misinformation war to help readers
In the hours after Iran attacked two Iraqi military bases that housed U.S. troops in January, social media predictably was rampant with rumors. Old and doctored photos surfaced claiming to show the bases on fire, and users shared reports on Twitter and Facebook that the missile strikes had killed Americans. A news-savvy, educated friend of mine posted on Facebook that 30 … [Read more...] about Local media outlets should be on frontline of misinformation war to help readers
Ebola reminds us perception is reality
Editor's note: This piece originally ran in the Fall print edition of GJR. As with other noisy public health topics, covering the ongoing Ebola crisis has posed several challenges. Journalists must have the facts right, of course, or risk irreparable damage to public understanding of the disease. But they also must decide how to deal with the myths others have … [Read more...] about Ebola reminds us perception is reality