Lecture Activity: Fake News Discussion

Instructions for each group:

1. Assign a notetaker
2. Assign someone to share out to the larger group at the end
3. Answer the “General Reflection” questions (5 minutes)
4. Answer your group’s assigned questions (10 minutes)

1. The Great Hack

1. What stood out to you? What was most memorable?
2. What did Brittany Kaiser mean by “weapons-grade communications tactics”? 1. Where are those used?
3. What did Cambridge Analytica do in Trinidad and Tobago to influence the election?
4. What was Facebook’s response to the hack? Consider the following quote from Benjamin:

   “If machines are programmed to carry out tasks, both they and their designers are guided by some purpose, that is to say, intention. And in the face of discriminatory effects, if those with the power to design differently choose business as usual, then they are perpetuating a racist system, whether or not they are card-carrying members of their local chapter of Black Lives Matter.” (Benjamin, p. 60)

5. What kinds of things can we do as a society to stop the spread of fake news? What tools do we have at our disposal?

2. The Long, Brutal History of Fake News

1. Examples of Fake News:
   • What were some examples given in the readings of how racial, ethnic, or religious stereotypes might have interacted to spread fake news more quickly?
   • For each of the examples you found, can you think of some similar examples that are happening right now that mirror this phenomenon?
2. Consider the following quote…

   Fake news is not a new phenomenon. It has been around since news became a concept 500 years ago with the invention of print—a lot longer, in fact, than verified, “objective” news, which emerged in force a little more than a century ago. …and then discuss the following questions:

   • How did society work to combat fake news in the past? Who did this work?
   • In what ways have internet platforms changed this? Who does this work now?
3. In the 16th century, officials argued that “Readers in search of fact had to pay close attention.” What are the benefits and drawbacks of putting the onus on the reader to sort everything out?
4. Consider this quote:

   “Sensationalism always sold well. By the early 19th century, modern newspapers came on the scene, touting scoops and exposés, but also fake stories to increase circulation.”

   • In what way is this still the norm? What incentives do platforms have to tamp down fake news?
   • What incentives do they have to keep it flowing?
5. Consider this quote:

   “One silver lining in this long and alarming history of fake news is yellow journalism and its results—from civil violence to war—caused a backlash, and sent the public in search of more objective news. It was this flourishing market that sparked the rise of relatively objective journalism as an industry in turn-of-the century America. For the first time, American papers hired reporters to cover local beats and statehouses, building a chain of trust between local, state and national reporters and the public.”

   • What do you think the state of news is today? Consider the role of the many technologies that have emerged over the last 25 years – smart devices, Internet platforms, and Generative AI
   • What options do we have at our disposal as a society to fix the fake news dilemma?