Wedge Issues
Some disinformation is obviously political, such as that targeting opposing parties. But other disinformation campaigns attempt to take political advantage of other rifts in societies, such as those rooted in ethnicity, religion, social class, and other markers of identity. This literature explores case studies on those wedge issues, including climate change, U.S. race tensions, and the anti-vaccine movement.
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Teaching & Learning
Explore course modules, handouts, teaching tools and syllabi about dis- and misinformation.
Latest News on Wedge Issues
What is driving the novel coronavirus infodemic? Fear, uncertainty and opportunistic marketing are all playing a role. But it is also a legacy of our growing distrust of science, experts and health-care institutions. Not only is this the era of misinformation, it is also the era of distrust. A recent study found that after years […]
By Timothy Caulfield
A tweet by entrepreneur Elon Musk suggesting children are “essentially immune” to coronavirus did not break Twitter’s rules, the company has said. This week, Twitter pledged to remove misinformation and tweets denying scientific facts about the virus. It even cited claims about child immunity as an example of misinformation that it would remove. […] Source: […]
By BBC
In the whirlwind of news about the novel coronavirus pandemic, it can be hard to figure out what’s a scam or rumor and what’s vital information. The ways in which the COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has transformed the way we work and keep ourselves entertained already feels unreal. To understand why […]
By Justine Calma
On March 16th, 2020, virtually every major social media company released a joint statement on their efforts to curb the spread of disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. As of the writing of this article, the top comment on Facebook’s Twitter post of this statement is, itself, a piece of disinformation, furthering the conspiracy theory that […]
By Robert Evans
We already had information overload. Then came a global pandemic. Coronavirus is an “everything story,” as Jon Allsop noted in Monday’s CJR newsletter: “unfathomably huge stories—that are all part of one, even more unfathomably huge story”. If the shuttered restaurants and roommates making a mess of your kitchen-table workspace aren’t reminder enough that COVID-19 has […]
By Lauren Harris
What is driving the novel coronavirus infodemic? Fear, uncertainty and opportunistic marketing are all playing a role. But it is also a legacy of our growing distrust of science, experts and health-care institutions. Not only is this the era of misinformation, it is also the era of distrust. A recent study found that after years […]
By Timothy CaulfieldA tweet by entrepreneur Elon Musk suggesting children are “essentially immune” to coronavirus did not break Twitter’s rules, the company has said. This week, Twitter pledged to remove misinformation and tweets denying scientific facts about the virus. It even cited claims about child immunity as an example of misinformation that it would remove. […] Source: […]
By BBCIn the whirlwind of news about the novel coronavirus pandemic, it can be hard to figure out what’s a scam or rumor and what’s vital information. The ways in which the COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has transformed the way we work and keep ourselves entertained already feels unreal. To understand why […]
By Justine CalmaOn March 16th, 2020, virtually every major social media company released a joint statement on their efforts to curb the spread of disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. As of the writing of this article, the top comment on Facebook’s Twitter post of this statement is, itself, a piece of disinformation, furthering the conspiracy theory that […]
By Robert EvansWe already had information overload. Then came a global pandemic. Coronavirus is an “everything story,” as Jon Allsop noted in Monday’s CJR newsletter: “unfathomably huge stories—that are all part of one, even more unfathomably huge story”. If the shuttered restaurants and roommates making a mess of your kitchen-table workspace aren’t reminder enough that COVID-19 has […]
By Lauren Harris