Political polarisation is the term used to describe the growing divide between social groups‘ ideas and ideology, leading to a an increase in extreme political views and loss of common ground (see charismatic leadership and the demise of opposition). Political polarisation can happen broadly around political parties, when they drift so far apart that they […]
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A 7-step guide to avoiding fake news // Misinformation isn’t new. People have always tried to convince one another of their opinions and, in that process, focus on the arguments that corroborate them. It’s no different with the authors behind biased news. Most ‘fake news’ out there isn’t really fake, it’s cherry picking the truth
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The anchoring effect, also known as anchoring bias, is a concept which describes the human tendency to rely on a first piece of information encountered (the “anchor”) when forming opinions and making decisions, without investigating that information further. Once an anchor is set, subsequent judgments are made in relation to that anchor, and there is
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How misinformation spreads through the tangential elements that don’t seem up for debate // Misinformation often spreads subtly in the background of a story, away from the spotlight. It can take the shape of brief mentions barely related to the main topic, often added as something obvious, natural and beyond challenge. Because our brains are
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Journalists is a very broad term used to describe professionals who gather, assess, create, review, edit and present news and information to the public. They may work as reporters, editors, correspondents, columnists, or in a number of other roles that involve researching and disseminating information – usually thorugh newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online platforms.
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How can we build knowledge? To fight our ignorance, we must first admit it // Over the last centuries, we have raised our standards of living and conquered all the physical elements for happiness. But ignorance is still widespread and one of the greatest challenges of our century. With the advent of mass media and
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Reliable sources is a term used to define publishers who we can trust, and which should be free from misinformation. In reality, however, there is no such thing. Some sources do tend to be more committed to the truth than others, but sadly even the most committed publishers make mistakes sometimes (intentionally or not –
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How charismatic leaders silence our own critical thinking and threaten democracy // Misinformation has led us to build extreme, emotionally charged opinions which have largely discredited and exposed our institutions, threatening modern society. To save us from a polarised world with no guardrails, we have put our faith in charismatic leaders that resemble more tribe
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The term ‘misinformation threat’, although often referred to as a singular warning, actually encompasses a wide range of risks to individuals, societies, and even global stability. Here are the 8 most significant threats associated with misinformation: 1. Misinformed Decision Making The main risk behind misinformation is how it influences our actions. Information drives our opinions,
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We tell ourselves stories all the time in order to make sense of the world around us. It’s a process known as rationalisation. We also tell ourselves stories about us and who we are as individuals. Because nobody wants to be a bad person, our own storytelling usually sheds a positive light on us. Sometimes,
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