Tag: misinformation

News Analysis: St. Louis tech startup that monetizes far-right fantasies faces little pushback in its hometown

Nearly a year has passed since the Gateway Journalism Review first reported that LockerDome, a prominent St. Louis tech startup, had become a company that partners with some of the most notorious right-wing websites in the country.   Serving as an advertising middleman, LockerDome was actually helping to fuel dozens of sites promoting election denial, white…

Local news outlets should do more to combat pandemic misinformation

A recent report tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations illustrates the extent of misinformation out there as we head into another long pandemic winter. The Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor–a non-partisan source of health news—found that nearly eight in 10 of the people surveyed are unsure about at least one common…

Pseudo news outlets push false claims around election

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.…

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…

Ebola reminds us perception is reality

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 unleashed. Is it better to raise the ghosts of erroneous beliefs to dismiss them, or to shun them entirely for fear of feeding panic?