Today we release the findings from our new research into how young Australians consume and think about news media.

Following a summer of bushfires and during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have told us they consume news regularly. But they also say they can find it frightening and many dont ask questions about the true source of the information they are getting.

To our surprise, despite widespread concern about fake news and a growing body of evidence about the reach and impact of misinformation, many young people are also not getting formal education about news media at school.

In February and March 2020, we conducted an online survey of young peoples media use and education. We used a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 young Australians aged between eight and 16 years.

In our results, we refer to two age categories for analysis: children (8 to 12) and teens (13 to 16).

This repeats and extends a similar survey we did in 2017.

To provide a snapshot of news consumption, we asked young Australians where they got news stories from on the previous day.

We found a clear majority of young people do consume news directly from news sources or they hear about it from people they know and trust.

We found 88% had heard about news events from at least one source, up 8% on 2017. Family were by far the most common source.

A striking finding is news consumption has become more social - obtained either through someone they know or social media.

The day before the survey, 70% of young people received news from family, teachers or friends (up 13% from 2017), while 29% got their news from social media (up 7%).

As with 2017, the news consumption practices of children and teenagers are quite different. The greatest difference is in their use of online media, including social media, to get news stories.

Read more: Social media platforms need to do more to stop junk food marketers targeting children

While 43% of teens got news from social media the day before the survey, only 15% of children did this. However, the use of social media to get news stories has increased for both age groups when compared with 2017 (it increased 8% for teens and 5% for children).

Young peoples socially orientated news consumption means they will have different experiences and expectations of news media and this may challenge the expectations of older generations.

For example, socially acquired news may not prioritise impartiality or objectivity in the same way traditional news media does. Trust in a source may be developed using different criteria.

To understand what young people are learning about news media, we asked about young peoples critical engagement with news and the opportunities they have been given to create their own stories in the classroom.

Just one in five young Australians said they had a lesson during the past year to help them decide whether news stories are true and can be trusted. This result was the same for both children and teens. While this figure increased by 3% for children, there was a 4% drop for teens when compared with 2017.

There was also a drop in the number of young people who said they had had lessons to help them create their own news stories. When it came to teens, 26% had these lessons (down 4% on 2017). For younger children, 29% had these lessons (down 8%).

This lack of news media literacy education in classrooms is troubling.

The number of young people who agree they know how to tell fake news from real new stories increased only marginally from 2017, moving from 34% to 36%.

Read more: Most young Australians cant identify fake news online

This very small increase is surprising, given the considerable amount of attention given to this issue by politicians and media outlets over the past few years.

Of further concern, our survey finds a large number of young Australians do not challenge the news they consume, even as they get older.

For example, 46% of young people who get news stories from social media, say they give very little or no attention to the source of news stories found online this result was the same for children and for teens.

When asked how they feel when they consume news media, the majority of young Australians surveyed reported they often or sometimes feel afraid, angry, sad or upset.

It is possible recent large-scale events such as the summer bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic account for some of these strong responses.

However, they also demonstrate the need for adults to be aware of the impact of news on young people, and to initiate supportive conversations about news.

We also believe these findings suggest media literacy efforts need to take place at home as well as school, with more resources to help parents ensure their childrens news interactions are safe and beneficial.

It is not fully clear why Australian students are not receiving widespread critical news literacy education. But our related research finds that while most teachers believe its important to support students news media literacy, there are many barriers that prevent them from doing this.

These include timetable constraints, an overloaded curriculum, a lack of time for planning and a lack of appropriate training and support.

Read more: How to help kids navigate fake news and misinformation online

These barriers must be addressed if teachers are to equip young Australians with the critical skills they need to engage with news media effectively and to discern trustworthy news from disinformation.

As we noted above, young people reported more engagement with news in 2020 than in 2017, either directly through news media or through friends, family and teachers.

In addition, 49% agree following the news is important to them and 74% say news makes them feel smart or knowledgeable.

Our findings do suggest, however, there is an urgent need for policy makers and education authorities to increase their efforts around young peoples learning about media.

We believe young people should be receiving specific education about the role of news media in our society, bias in the news, disinformation and misinformation, the inclusion of different groups, news media ownership and technology.

Only then will news play a positive role in young peoples lives and continue to do so in the future.

More here:

We live in an age of 'fake news'. But Australian children are not learning enough about media literacy - The Conversation AU

Are you overwhelmed with contradictory messages from politicians, news sources and other media? Learn to distinguish truth from fiction using real-world examples of political ads, news headlines, logical fallacies, graphs/charts, as well as the effect of word choice in messaging, statistical data and other types of (mis)information. Become your own fact-checker! Also, learn how to find accurate information.

The downtown Klamath County Library will host a virtual workshop Civics for Adults: Misinformation, Fake News and Political Propaganda on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

The workshop will be held via a Zoom meeting. A link to join the meeting will be emailed 48 hours before the event to everyone who RSVPs at Eventbrite via http://www.eventbrite.com/e/civics-for-adults-misinformation-fake-news-and-political-propaganda-tickets-112515543018 or by emailing Charla at coppenlander@klamathlibrary.org. Pre-registration is required and limited to the first 35 registrations.

The workshop will be facilitated by Donna L Cohen, MLIS, MEd. Cohen is an Oregonian who has been a teacher and librarian and now devotes her time to developing, refining and presenting civic education for adults. She believes that civic education should be lifelong and also that public libraries are the best place for this.

The life of our democracy depends on its citizens thinking critically, understanding basic political structures and engaging in the work of sustaining and building our society, said Cohen.

Cohens presentation will last just over an hour, with time after for questions and discussion.

For more information about the workshop, or for help using Zoom, call 541-882-8894 ext. 10 or email Charla at coppenlander@klamathlibrary.org. For more information about Cohen visit http://www.civicthinker.info/.

Read more from the original source:

Learn about misinformation, fake news and political propaganda in an online workshop from the Klamath County Library - Herald and News

The editor and a reporter of a Telugu newspaper were arrested by the Jubilee Hills police on charges of publishing false news and spreading rumours about the health status of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The newspaper Aaadab Telangana recently published a news report that Mr. Rao had tested positive for coronavirus and is admitted in a corporate hospital.

One Mohammed Illyas of Rahmathnagar in Jubilee Hills on Sunday, lodged a complaint stating that the published news article on Mr. Rao was fake, and created panic among the general public.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under Section 505 (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any rumour or report) of Indian Penal Code and Section 54 of Disaster Management Act, against the publication and the editor.

On Monday, a team of police officials arrested reporter Venkateshwara Rao from Khammam, editor Veeramalla Satyam and sub-editor Shiva from Hyderabad. Venkateshwara Rao, a resident of Tarnaka, had recently gone to his native place Khammam.

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Editor, staff arrested for fake news on CMs health - The Hindu

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday sought to clarify that it is yet to release the dates to announce examination results.

The clarification came after a false notification had been doing the rounds on social media. According to this notification, the results were to be announced on July 11 and July 13.

Here are more details.

Fake news

An erroneous letter with the CBSE's letterhead had been doing the rounds on social media.

The letter claimed that the results for 2020 examinations for Class XII students will be released on July 11 (Saturday) while the Class X results will be announced on July 13 (Monday).

The false letter had also been published by the news agency ANI as verified information.

CBSE's statement

In an official statement, the CBSE noted, "There is a fake message being circulated with regard to the declaration of Class X and XII Board Results 2020."

It added, "It is hereby clarified that the Board has not yet announced the result dates. The public is hereby advised to await the announcement on CBSE's official website or social media account."

Twitter Post

#FakeNewsAlert #cbseforstudents #students pic.twitter.com/9Jaf5Mch2u

Information

ANI also retracted the incorrect piece of information and said the error was regretted. For authentic information regarding updates from the CBSE, you may visit cbse.nic.in or follow the Board's official Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels.

Recent news

In recent weeks, the CBSE has had to issue several crucial updates. The pending 2020 exams were canceled mere days ahead of their scheduled dates. The exams were supposed to be conducted between July 1 and 15.

On Tuesday, the CBSE also announced that the curriculum for Classes IX to XII will be reduced by 30% for next year's examinations.

Excerpt from:

Fake news alert: CBSE 2020 results not releasing this week - NewsBytes

Maharashtra Lockdown Extension News: The Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) in Thane district of Maharashtra has extended the ongoing lockdown in the township till July 19. The ongoing lockdown in Bhiwandi had started on July 2 and was to end Sunday midnight. Also Read - Fake News: Amitabh Bachchan DID NOT Record Video Thanking Doctors at Nanavati Hospital After Testing COVID-19 Positive

Till Saturday night, the number of coronavirus positive cases in Bhiwandi was 2,701, while the death toll was 144. Also Read - Former Amnesty India Chief Aakar Patel Lambasted on Twitter For Accusing Amitabh Bachchan-Akshay Kumar-Sachin Tendulkar of 'Frog in Well Mentality'

Yesterday, the lockdown in other civic corporation limits and rural parts of Thane district was extended till July 19. Also Read - Hina Khan Wishes Quick Recovery to Kasautii Star Parth Samthaan After He Gets COVID-19

Meanwhile, the Vartak Nagar ward committee of the Thane civic administration on Sunday issued an order prohibiting all activities, except for the sale of medicines and milk, in Shivai Nagar, Ganesh Nagar, Sainath Nagar and Misalwadi till further notice after spurt in COVID-19 cases in these areas.

Meanwhile, the Thane Small Scale Industries Association (TSSIA) has urged district guardian minister Eknath Shinde to withdraw the lockdown, stating that the industrial units were incurring losses due to the restrictions in place since March.

Link:

Maharashtra Lockdown Extension News: Shutdown in Thane's Bhiwandi Town Extended Till July 19 - India.com

CBSE Board Results 2020: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will not announce its class 12 and 10 board results on July 11 and 13. A notice was circulated on social media regarding the same, however CBSE said that it is fake. News Agency ANI later deleted the tweet.

Earlier, the board submitted in the Supreme Court that it will announce result by 15th July. The results of students of classes 10th and 12th will be available on the official website of the CBSE.

Where to check resultscbseresults.nic.inresults.nic.incbse.nic.in

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CBSE Board Results 2020: Results not on July 11 and 13, CBSE says notice fake - The Financial Express

People are more worried about the amount of coronavirus misinformation others are exposed to than themselves, a survey suggests.

Six in 10 Britons (60%) told Ofcom they are concerned about the potentially harmful information others may see online related to the virus, compared with just over a third of respondents (36%) who were concerned about their own consumption of such fake news.

It comes as 29% of respondents revealed they have come across false or misleading information about Covid-19 in the last week, down from a peak of 50% during the third and fifth week of lockdown.

Those who come across fake news did so fairly frequently, with more than six in 10 (62%) saying they had seen some at least once a day and one quarter (25%) a few times a week.

The regulator which has spoken to 2,000 adults every week since lockdown was announced found that claims linking 5G to the virus remain the most commonly seen piece of misinformation, although their prevalence has decreased over time.

Conspiracy theories about 5G have been a particular problem in the UK during the crisis, with dozens of mobile masts across the country subjected to attacks.

Elsewhere, consumption of news about coronavirus remains strong but has dropped off from 99% at the start of lockdown to 85%.

Follow this link:

People more wary of others viewing Covid-19 fake news than themselves survey - Yahoo Finance UK

Written by Aishwarya Bhati | Updated: July 9, 2020 9:53:15 am The case is about internet availability in Kashmir, which has a vexed background and a complex geo-political history. (File)

The January 10 judgment of the Supreme Court on internet restrictions in Kashmir was criticised as one ignoring rights and remedies. The May 11 judgment on the same issue was described as an abdication of duty. The former judgment, in Anuradha Bhasin vs Union of India, laid down guidelines to test the validity of internet suspension orders and their periodic review. The May 11 judgment, in Foundation for Media Professionals vs UT of Jammu & Kashmir, ordered the constitution of a special committee to review the orders passed by the J&K authorities by applying the safeguards laid down by the Court in its January 10 judgment. In a recent webinar hosted by CAN foundation Harish Salve cautioned: Everybody who has a point of view today thinks the Supreme Court is a national dartboard, on which everybody who has a point of view, has the right to throw a dart. This must stop.

The case is about internet availability in Kashmir, which has a vexed background and a complex geo-political history. It has been on the receiving end of well orchestrated and incessant proxy war waged by an unstable neighbour. The repeal of Article 370, re-organisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and the prospect of a brighter future for Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh, propelled our neighbour into a desperate mode. The COVID-19 crisis has only added to the complexity of the situation on the ground. The recent turn of events bear a testimony to this trend. The excessive firepower and hostility at the LoC and the urgency and recklessness of terrorist activities in the Valley exposes the scheme of using even the pandemic to wreak havoc.

Any analysis of merits and demerits of the SC orders should start from this background information, as a strict analysis of the law, without facts, is a purely academic exercise. An important facet of modern terrorism is the use of the internet.

Cyber terrorism is a contemporary phenomenon, wherein terrorists use the internet to influence, communicate and fund violence on a realtime basis. There is no gainsaying that Kashmir is also prey to such technology.

On August 5, 2019, internet services for the entire union territory of Jammu and Kashmir was suspended. A case was filed before the Supreme Court seeking to quash the internet restrictions imposed under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. Strangely, the eminent counsel, arguing the case for the petitioner, conceded that he did not want to challenge the constitutionality of the Rules, rather he was only concerned with their application. Accordingly, the Court, being cognisant of the fact that the Rules do not completely secure the rights of citizens, read into the Rules certain valuable safeguards such as periodic review. The J&K government implemented the SC order by easing internet restrictions in a graded manner.

The situation of Kashmir is dynamic. The government has to be the front-line enforcer of the law laid down by the SC. The Court recognises that the imposition of restriction should be on a proportionate basis. In the past month, more than 10 terrorism incidents have been reported, with more than 15 soldiers/civilians killed. Due to the continuous onslaught of terrorism, internet restrictions may have to be used often for the protection of human lives.

The constitution of the special committee by the Court is in furtherance of balanced constitutionalism. The Constitution provides for rights under Part III to be enforced by all the organs of the government. Accordingly, the Court cannot be understood to be the sole protector of rights the executive and legislature have an equal responsibility.

The framework the Supreme Court has created by its two judgments rightly applies this principle. First, the SC created standards for the executive to apply, including reading in the proportionality requirement. Through its recent May order, the Court has created an important forum to review the orders passed under the Rules. Now, the onus is on the government to show how it complies.

The first step for the government is to gather inputs from individual districts across J&K to assess whether the internet is being misused to circulate fake news. Once such intelligence is gathered, the materials are required to be placed before the concerned authority. The Court necessarily alluded to the fact that restrictions cannot be imposed for the entire union territory through omnibus orders they need to be tailored district-wise. The findings ought to be based on verifiable data. Further, the government should consider bringing a narrowly tailored legislation to curtail fake news, not only for Jammu and Kashmir but also for the rest of India. The safeguards and caveats ensure that the function of the Supreme Court as an apex interpreter of law remains intact, while leaving the calibration to the executive based on the ground situation.

The supposed clarion-call of some learned academicians and members of legal fraternity of abdication of duty by the Supreme Court seems to have completely missed the hard facts in the Valley.

It will be apposite to quote a few prophetic lines of one of the greatest legal doyens, Nani A Palkhivala: It is true that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. But it is true, in even a deeper sense, that eternal responsibility is also part of the price of liberty. Excessive authority, without liberty, is intolerable; but excessive liberty, without authority and without responsibility, soon become equally intolerable. Liberty has a hypnotising sound; while, unfortunately, responsibility has no sex appeal.

This article first appeared in the print edition on July 9 under the title Liberty and responsibility. The writer is a senior advocate practising in the Supreme Court and former secretary, Supreme Court Bar Association.

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See the original post:

Liberty and responsibility: SC rulings on internet restrictions in J&K uphold balanced constitutionalism - The Indian Express

Last month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the leading promotion in mixed martial arts, found itself involved in a far-right conspiracy scandal after one of its officials was spotted wearing QAnon markings on their official attire.

Don House, a long-time UFC cutman and friend of the organizations president, Dana White, appeared on the UFC on ESPN 11 broadcast wearing a Q symbol on his chest and a WWG1WGA marking on the left arm of his shirt, which stands for Where we go one we go all and is a popular slogan amongst QAnon conspiracy theorists and supporters. The markings were visible on his clothing during the main event between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory which propagates the idea that the alleged deep state is waging an invisible war against US president Donald Trump and his supporters through a secret plot. The theory, which was birthed out of an anonymous 4chan post by a person identifying as Q Clearance Patriot an alleged government official is rooted in the belief that many liberal Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians and other high-ranking officials are part of an global cabal of pedophiles running an international child sex trafficking ring, and that Trump is trying to dismantle the elitist group.

Despite the lack of evidence supporting their baseless and unhinged claims, the fringe internet conspiracy theory has continued to gain supporters. In 2019, QAnon was labelled a potential domestic terrorism threat by the Federal Bureau of Investigations due to its ability to lead individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts.

Houses decision to display symbols in support of a domestic terrorism threat was lauded by QAnon supporters on the internet and criticized by pundits, which led to the UFC launching an investigation into Houses actions. The organization claimed to have been unaware of Houses decision to wear the markings, and stated that the cutman had not sought permission to wear the symbols.

This was a violation of our staff event outfitting policy and the matter will be thoroughly investigated, the UFC said in a statement to ESPN.

House later admitted that he regretted his decision to wear the markings because of the embarrassment it caused White, whom he called a friend of mine. However, he also defended QAnon by agreeing with some of the theorys key principles, including their supposed aim to expose a child sex trafficking ring. Theyre trying to expose that, House told MMAFighting.com.

The patches worn by House are not the first time that QAnon has permeated the MMA space. Earlier in June, Albuquerque city councillor Pat Davis tweeted a photo of a flag with the letter Q perched on the roof of the Jackson Wink Academy, a renowned MMA gym that is home to past and present UFC champions such as Holly Holm and Jon Jones. The academy released a statement in which it claimed that the flag was planted by an unknown individual and was removed as soon as it came to our attention.

Prominent UFC fighters have also been guilty of using QAnon-related hashtags on social media, including UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal, who used a QAnon hashtag when he posted a false quote by Kurt Cobain in reference to Donald Trump. The president previously attended one of Masvidals fights at UFC 244 and praised the fighter on social media after Masvidal called Trump a bad motherfucker.

Given the trend of prominent QAnon support emerging within the MMA landscape, there appears to be an overlap between a subset of MMA fans and the fringe conspiracy. According to a VOX analysis of the QAnon subreddit /r/greatawakening, many of the casual posters also frequent other subreddits such MMA, fitness and Joe Rogan. They are also avid posters in a variety of Trump-related subreddits.

Yet it is the support for Trump that helps explain why QAnon and other conspiracy theories appear to thrive within combat sports. The UFC brass is unabashedly pro-Trump and has used the promotion as a platform for the presidents ideology, even going so far as to produce a propaganda documentary about Trump called Combatant in Chief. White, who spoke at the 2016 Republican national convention, has been unapologetic about his support for Trump and has even claimed he doesnt care if that support alienates fans.

I dont give a shit, White said. If you dont like me because Im friends with this guy, thats your problem not mine.

The UFCs public support for Trump may have cost the promotion a portion of its progressive and ethnically diverse fanbase, but it has helped secure its conservative fandom, many of whom voted for Trump or have right-leaning tendencies. Since the 2016 election, the UFC has even seen the rise of fighters sporting MAGA gimmicks such as Colby Covington, who even visited the Oval Office when he was interim champion. And as more conservative fans flock to the sport they view as MAGA-friendly, there has been a noticeable rise in fake news, fringe conspiracy theories and right-wing extremism.

Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz a vocal Trump supporter has flooded his social media timelines with unhinged conspiracy theories, including his most recent claim that George Floyds killing at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer was a false flag and political stunt aimed to cause chaos ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell who once asked Donald Trump to call him if he needs help whooping some politician believes that the coronavirus is a bioweapon made by government in order to try and take our guns.

Former UFC title challenger and Special Forces Green Beret Tim Kennedy shared an Instagram post of himself wearing a Hawaiian shirt beneath a bulletproof vest while holding a rifle. The Hawaiian shirt alludes to the Boogaloo Boys, a far-right extremist movement that is preparing for a second American civil war which they call the boogaloo. Participants often wear Hawaiian shirts along with military fatigues to identify themselves at protests.

Kennedy posted the aforementioned picture in June 2020 along with the caption: Just dont be an assholeif you choose to be an assholeI picked out a shirt for the occasion

Kennedy has since informed the Guardian that he does not support the Boogaloo movement but will continue to wear Hawaiian shirts because he enjoys them.

Im from California. I fucking love Hawaiian shirts. Im not gonna let any extremist group regardless of what their affiliation is claim something thats awesome, Kennedy told the Guardian via email. I also like do European swimsuit a.k.a. the speedo. If some bitch ass motherfucker says that thing is only for an alt right/left, Ill still wear that banana hammock with pride. I dont subscribe to any this bullshit. I just do the shit I like to do.

There has even been a case where an MMA fighters photo was used to spread fake news about protestors at a Black Lives Matter event. The post, which showed a cropped version of a womans bruised face, claimed that the person was beaten and raped at a BLM protest. The photo attached to the post was actually a picture of Russian MMA fighter Anastasia Yankova following her bout at Bellator 161 in September 2016.

While MMA has long been a niche sport that attracted interesting and somewhat diverse segments of society, there has been an apparent increase in conservative fandom within the sport. As the UFC continues to develop into a safe haven for MAGA supporters to rally around Trump and his far-right ideology, MMA will continue to be soiled with conspiracy peddlers and bad faith actors who view the sport as a platform for their dangerous worldview.

Excerpt from:

MMA and QAnon: How fake news and conspiracies permeated the octagon - The Guardian

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends the inauguration ceremony of the Main Space Operations Center of the Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite in Brasilia, Brazil June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro said he would veto a bill regulating fake news, which has also been criticized by social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter, if it comes to his desk from Congress in its present shape.

A network of Bolsonaros right-wing supporters is being investigated for propagating fake news to denigrate opponents and attack the countrys democratic institutions.

Speaking on a Facebook live broadcast, his favorite channel of communication with his backers, Bolsonaro said he was for total freedom of the media as he criticized the bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday.

The proposal has returned to the lower chamber to approve changes.

Facebook, Twitter and Google have jointly criticized the bill as a serious threat to privacy by requiring social media account holders to provide an identity document and a cellphone number for verification purposes when registering.

The companies called it a massive gathering of data on people that undermined the right to protect data.

They also said the requirement to keep databases on servers in Brazil would endanger privacy and hurt the economy because it would create barriers to commerce that were contrary to the global and open nature of the Internet.

Bolsonaro said he would consult the people before deciding whether to veto the bill or sign it into law.

Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Chris Reese and Neil Fullick

Link:

Brazil's Bolsonaro would veto bill regulating fake news in current form - Reuters

Sao Paulo:On June 30 (Tuesday), the European Union decided to extend a ban on travellers from certain countries which still have rising cases of COVID-19. As the coronavirus graph goes down across the continent and it slowly opens its doors to tourists, people from Brazil have been barred from entering Europe. But citizens of Uruguay, a country of just three million people that shares its border with Brazil, can now travel to the EU countries.

In this important detail lies the story of how Brazil, the biggest country and economy in South America, has made a mess of its coronavirus situation, while its small neighbours have triumphed over the killer virus.

The virus reached South America on February 26, 2020 when Brazil confirmed a case in Sao Paulo. By April 3, all countries in the continent had recorded at least one case. Brazil recorded its first COVID-19 death on March 12. In four months, the country has reached a total of 1,448,753 cases of infection and 60,632 deaths.

The virus hit Argentina on March 3. As of June 30, the country had 64,517 cases and 1,307 deaths. In the past three months, Paraguay has seen 2,221 cases and 17 deaths; and Uruguay has reported 936 infections and 27 deaths. But Brazil registered 46,712 new cases and 1,038 deaths in just past 24 hours (June 30 to July 1).

While Brazils three southern neighbours, which have all shut their borders with the country of 210 million people, have managed to flatten the COVID-19 curve and prevent the contamination of their economies, the South American giant has seen an uncontrolled pandemic, a fast-spreading economic crisis and a deep social fissure that threatens its democracy.

Also read: ICMR Must Decide if it Is Indias Council for Medical Research or its Masters Voice

If Brazil today is in the grip of a deadly virus with no end in sight, the big share of blame rests with Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right president who blindly followed US President Donald Trumps lead in first downplaying the danger of virus and then pressuring state governors and city mayors to restart the commercial activities as economy is life. Since the virus hit the country, Brazil did not go into complete lockdown, instead opting for a quarantine to be observed voluntarily by citizens.

With the closure of schools, colleges, pubs, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls and other non-essential activities, almost 50% of the population have stayed home. The other half, mostly the poor, have been out on the streets as they were the hardest hit by the virus and the recession caused by it.

Real threat, fake news

In denial mode from the beginning, Bolsonaro did his best to encourage people to break quarantine by calling the disease a little cold, joining pro-government rallies without a face mask, shaking hands with people in bakeries, openly demanding that social restrictions be lifted and attacking governors who tried to implement a strict quarantine.

Even as thin crowds attended his weekend rallies in Brasilia, where the president spoke about things like inviting a group of 30 people for a barbecue and repeatedly dismisses the virus as a mild flu, the messaging began to make an impact, with more and more people ignoring the social distancing rules, refusing to wear masks and taking part in neighbourhood parties which sometimes turned violent against those who tried to stop them.

A street cleaner disinfects a street wearing protective clothing (PPE), during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in the municipality of Breves, on Marajo island, Para state, Brazil, June 3, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino

With Bolsonaro giving a clear signal to his far-right base that he was not in a mood to recognise the threat posed by the virus, his supporters unleashed their time-tested weapon of fake news to further fuel the rage against governors and the Supreme Court, which had struck down several of the presidents decrees for curtailing the quarantine measures.

Since the virus began spreading in Brazil, its social media has been flooded with false data, memes, graphics and reports pushing the idea that COVID-19 was not more dangerous than ordinary flu. Bolsonaro himself posted dubious claims on his social media pages. While a few of his posts were taken down by Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, thousands of messages filled with conspiracy theories about the WHO, evil scientists and miracle cures have continued to circulate on WhatsApp groups across Brazil.

Even as hospitals has run out of ICU beds and mayors have to create new cemeteries in public parks, the fake news machinery had been working non-stop, putting the healthcare system under great stress. We are trying to convince people of the problem that is right in front of them. Our biggest problem is fake news, a nurse told the BBC in May, when the number of infections and deaths had just begun to spike.

Also read: How Have the Centres Food Distribution Schemes Performed So Far?

Brazil, which has an internet penetration of 70% and close to 130 million users of WhatsApp, has been a laboratory of fake news for quite some time. In 2018, just before the second round of presidential election in which Bolsonaro was pitted against Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party, a huge expos in Folha de Sao Paulonewspaper revealed that Bolsonaros supporters fired hundreds of millions of messages to thousands of WhatsApp groups over the messaging platform. The illegal practice, which mostly spread fake news about Haddad, was financed by a group of businessmen in complete violation of the countrys election laws. In a recent decision, a Supreme Court judge got hold of the banking and financial dealings of a businessman who is suspected of financing the fake news racket during the elections.

The investigation into the fake news case, which is getting bigger and murkier by the day, can lead to serious charges of electoral crimes an impeachable offence against Bolsonaro. The probe, which also targets the presidents sons, has subdued Bolsonaro a bit but he has continued to undermine his own governments effort to control the pandemic.

Hide the numbers, deny the problem

Between 1971 and 1974, when Brazil was under a military dictatorship, the country was hit by a meningitis epidemic. The crisis was so severe in Sao Paulo that thousands were hospitalised and hundreds died in weeks. The epidemic reached a peak in 1972 when the death rate spiked at 14%. But the generals running the country at that time decided to cover up the crisis. The government did not reveal the real scale of the epidemic and used the victory in the 1970 World Cup to rally the Brazilians around football, a passionate issue in this country. While the military obfuscated the truth to protect the regime from collapsing along with the healthcare system, in 1975, it was proven that the best way to lower the death rate was early diagnosis and treatment.

Bolsonaro, who openly admires the 21 years of military dictatorship and praises the torture inflicted on pro-democracy and leftist activists, seems to be using the same old playbook to hide the real scale of the disease that is ravaging this country. In the first week of June, when the infections were rising and it was becoming clear that the government was losing control of the situation and its mild flu narrative the federal government released two different sets of data about the confirmed cases and deaths. Even as people struggled to make sense of numbers, which brought the figure down drastically from one day to another, Bolsonaro joked on social media that the primetime television news would not be able to report the numbers now.

Also read: Self-Absorbed, Uncaring, Incompetent: COVID Has Exposed Populist Leaders for What They Are

The government came back to releasing the daily figures only after a court order. But for a few days the country was in the dark about the damage being done by the virus. This further weakened the already fragile quarantine. Former health minister Luiz Mandetta, who was fired by Bolsonaro as he refused to tow his line on relaxing the social distancing norms, called the government move dumb and narrow. It is absurd and childishness and it will have consequences, said Mandetta, who was replaced as minister by another doctor who, in turn, was replaced by an army general.

After many days of squabbling with Mandetta, who became hugely popular across Brazil because of daily briefings, Bolsonaro fired him in April and appointed in his place a doctor with no public healthcare experience. The second minister was forced out after just 30 days as Bolsonaro handed over the Ministry of Health to General Eduardo Pazuello, who has no medical or public health experience. Under Pazuello, the health ministry has pushed for the widespread use of drugs like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which have been rejected by most studies. Daily media briefings have largely disappeared.

Profit over people

Last week, it was revealed that May of this year was the month with the highest number of deaths recorded in the history of Brazil, with COVID-19 claiming 24,111 of the 1,23,861 people who died across the country. In June, Brazil has recorded close to 1,000 deaths a day. In recent days, the number of new infections has touched figures as high as 54,000 in a day. Several survey by the countrys top universities and research centres have released studies that show the actual number of cases of COVID-19 in Brazil is between four to five times greater than the figures officially issued by the Ministry of Health.

By no stretch of imagination is the coronavirus crisis in Brazil over. It has not even peaked yet. But the country seems to be rushing back to business as usual, as in pre-pandemic days. Since the first quarantine was declared in Sao Paulo on March 16, the presidents supporters have used aggressive tactics to break the social distancing rules. Demonstrations and car and bike rallies have been taken out by far-right groups demanding a return to work and the opening of trade.

Now, the combined effect of constant social media messaging against social distancing by Bolsonaro, obfuscation of real numbers by the government, promotion of miracle drugs like HCQ by the Ministry of Health and extreme pressure from business groups has broken the resolve of most governors and mayors to control the pandemic with strict measures. Sao Paulo, the South American financial hub, has already started to open shops, malls and restaurants, despite a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Cities and towns in the state, which is the epicentre of the pandemic with 20% of the infections reported in the country, are following suit even as cases continue to rise.

Cabofriense players are temperature checked as they arrive before a match, following the resumption of play behind closed doors after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes

In Rio de Janeiro, the second biggest city in the country with the highest per capita deaths in Brazil, even football games are back despite many top clubs not wanting to expose their players to the virus. But, egged on by Bolsonaro, big clubs like Flamengo and Vasco da Gama have pushed athletes to play in the middle of the pandemic. Even with the virus showing no signs of slowing down and several players testing positive, the city mayor is already under pressure to open one-third of the stadiums to spectators. The beaches of Rio, which were opened to the public some 10 days ago, are already packed with people. Masks are rare. Social distancing norms have been abandoned by most.

As Brazil becomes the first country to reopen its economy without ever closing it in a real sense, public health experts are watching the unfolding situation with horror. On Tuesday, members of the Pan American Health Organisation, the regional arm of the WHO, said the epidemic may reach peak in Brazil by mid-August and that the country may have more than 80,000 deaths by then. Some studies have estimated a much higher number till the end of 2020.

Bolsonaro, a self-declared fan of Donald Trump, follows the US presidents policies and style of functioning to a fault. Even in mismanaging a pandemic, he seems to be mimicking his idol on the northern side of the Equator.

Shobhan Saxena is a journalist based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The rest is here:

Fake News, Hiding Data and Profits: How COVID-19 Spun Out of Control in Brazil - The Wire

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday refuted rumours that 169 residents tested positive for coronavirus in Malad's Omkar Alta Monte.

A picture clicked from a neighbouring building has been going viral on the internet wherein several people dressed in PPE kits can be seen standing outside the building premises. The message also claimed that 169 residents of the society have tested positive for COVID-19 and that the building has now been sealed.

It created a wave of panic among the people residing in and around the society as soon as the message making the rounds.

"This image from Omkar Alta Monte, Malad (E) making rounds on social media claims that 169 residents have tested positive for COVID19. We would like to inform that the said news is false. The image is of a screening camp organised at the premises. We urge citizens to not panic (sic)," BMC tweeted.

Since the lockdown has been imposed in March, a host of false news and messages are being forwarded on social media. The BMC, as well as the state and central government, have time and again issued clarifications on these rumours and have requested people to not believe in such fake information.

Read more:

Fake News Busted! BMC clarifies 169 residents of Omkar Alta Monte in Malad have not tested positive for - Mumbai Mirror

Coronavirus response shows the real "fake news"

The term "fake news" was born during the presidency of Donald J. Trump. It was widely used by the president and members of the presidents team to rebuff news items critical of the Trump Administration. Over the Trump years, the amount of "fake news" grew exponentially. It got so great that the president routinely disparaged representatives of mainstream media, and sternly admonished them and dismissed their questions at presidential news conferences. Trump supporters admired such actions because they were seen as one demonstration of his "telling it like it is." After all, the president himself promised that, unlike his predecessors and members of the Washington elite, "telling it like it is" is one way that he alone will make America great again.

Now comes the COVID-19 pandemic, which Trump informed the nation was a "hoax" likely perpetrated by Democrats. Epidemiologists using methods of scientific investigation determined the severity and extent of the disease. They collected incidence data and identified preventive measures that should be promulgated at the federal level. On multiple occasions, Trump told the public that prevalence was decreasing, not increasing, and the use of masks and social distancing could safely be phased down. Last week, epidemiologists at a press conference presented data showing growing prevalence. Vice President Pence, speaking for the absent president, then spoke of the outstanding progress the administration has made, right from the beginning, in defeating the pandemic.

Who is lying? Whose news is fake? Whose inaction and incompetence has resulted in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of American lives?

Richard Bolig

Cranston

Where does revisionism end?

Currently there is an agenda by certain activist groups to oppose segments of our American history that they deem offensive. Their efforts are to remove, ban or deface any objects that relate to our flag, our national anthem, memorial monuments and persons of historic significance. They have even made attempts to eliminate religious names, statues and certain places of worship.

In the coming years, history books will need to be rewritten for all educational classrooms omitting many of the suggested offensive references. A new curriculum will be required in order not to offend anyone.

Even if only partially successful, the cultural effect will impact much of our countrys history for years to come. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will have new meaning for some as our past history is being revised on a daily basis.

Whats next, the Fourth of July?

Bob Sweeney

Warwick

Larger ramifications of gender-neutral drivers license

According to Governor Raimondo, Rhode Island residents can now select a gender-neutral designation on their drivers license in order to "better reflect the diverse identities of Rhode Islanders." As the state continues to explore the transgender ideology and all it holds, we must continually ask ourselves about the nature of the human person. For to hold that ones body and "identity" is asserted by Xs will does not correspond to the truth, but to an accommodation of want that further undermines the purpose, meaning, and nature of the human person in an ordered universe.

Craig Cooley

Providence

Read the rest here:

Letters to the Editor: 'Fake news' on coronavirus; rampant revisionism; the nature of gender - The Providence Journal

By Donna Lu

Richard Levine / Alamy

Fake news was widely cited as a problem during the 2016 US election, but a new analysis suggests that, at least in that country, it may not affect public opinion as much as has been suggested.

Duncan Watts at the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues analysed the daily media consumption habits of people in the US and found that deliberately false or misleading content makes up only a tiny fraction of what people watch or read.

Watts and his colleagues found that, on average, people consumed fake news for 0.15 per cent of the total time they spent watching TV and movies or gaming, using social media and enjoying other such entertainment.

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They suggest that conventional news sources, or people avoiding the news altogether, may be greater contributors to the polarisation of opinions and creating a misinformed public than fake news.

The team analysed data from Nielsen, a company that measures the TV viewing habits of about 100,000 people in the US to determine ratings. The team also studied nationally representative data from analytics firm Comscore, which measures the time people spend on their computers and mobile phones on different media websites.

Fake news consumption was defined as the amount of time people spent on any of 98 websites that had previously been identified by fact-checkers as deceptive, low-quality or hyper-partisan.

The researchers found that people in the US spend an average of over 7.5 hours a day consuming media. News comprises 14 per cent of this.

People spend about five times more time consuming news on TV 54 minutes than online, although this ratio was smaller for 18- to 24-year-olds.

The media plays a tremendously important role in questions about politics, public opinion, polarisation and attitudes towards experts, says Watts.

News publishers and programmes should be held as accountable as social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, he says.

Journal reference: Science Advances

More on these topics:

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There probably isn't as much fake news in the media as we think - New Scientist News

Rendering by Freddy Brewster

A worldwide campaign to spread conspiracy theories and misinformation has arrived in Humboldt County in the form of a weird newspaper with the headline: How Chinas Communist Regime Endangered the World. Last Saturday, residents in Eureka and Arcata received unsolicited copies of the Epoch Times, a far-right and pro-Trump newspaper funded by Falun Gong.

Who is Falun Gong, you might ask?

Well it is not a person. Instead it is a religious movement that started in China in the 1990s and has since moved its headquarters to New York. Falun Gong involves a bit of regulated breathing and meditation exercises and was founded by Li Hongzhi. The movement grew in popularity in China and was eventually banned because the Chinese government deemed it an evil cult.

How does a religious movement get banned in China?

Well, China has been known for crushing dissent and members of Falun Gong are just that. According to interviews with NBC News, members of Falun Gong believe the world is headed toward a judgment day, where those labeled communists will be sent to a kind of hell, and those sympathetic to the spiritual community will be spared.

The Epoch Times started in May 2000 and originally focused solely on pushing anti-communinist messaging and generally stayed out of American politics, however that eventually changed.

In October 2009, Li Hongzhi gave a speech at the Epoch Times where he urged the paper to change its course to essentially become more of a newspaper that builds its own revenue and reputation.

As The Epoch Times has made its way from its start-up to where it is today, it has become quite influential, Li Hongzhi said at the meeting. This tells us, then, that even though while running the paper peoples cultivation states may have often been inadequate, the main current has been good and made indelible achievements. Thats excellent. And as for its future prospects, things should only get better and better as you continue, and ordinary people will attach ever greater importance to the paper.

The Epoch Times has exploded in reach over the last few years with 6.1 million followers on Facebook, 67,400 followers on Instagram, 278,000 followers on Twitter and spent around $1 million on countless YouTube ads. The Epoch Times also charter a new course when it came to going to bat for an American politician. Its publishers are all-in for Trump and see him as an ally in the fight against communism in China.

According to analysis by NBC News, over a six-month period in 2019 the Epoch Times spent $1.5 million for nearly 11,000 ads promoting President Trump, more than any organization outside of the Trump campaign itself.

There is nothing nefarious about showing blatant support for a political figure; mainstream news outlets do it all the time on both sides of the political aisle. However, most of them do not peddle baseless conspiracy theories, align themselves with QAnonand publish misinformation about COVID-19. (Although, there is some debate about this too.)

So why did the Epoch Times end up on peoples doorsteps in Humboldt County?

It was actually part of an international campaign to deliver the paper. Residents in the United Kingdom also found the paper on their doorstep, along with residents in the Bay Area, in Colorado and even Canada.

One LoCO reader in Eureka was so upset about the incident she emailed us the following:

So if you were one of the (un)lucky ones to find a copy of the Epoch Times in your mailbox or on your front step consider reusing it. You can make papier-mch, or airplanes, or use it for a fire starter for your wood burning stove. Or just line the bottom of a bird cage with it because, after all, the paper is total shit.

More:

Fake News: What is the Epoch Times and Why Did It Arrive On My Doorstep? - Lost Coast Outpost

The Hinckley Institute Radio Hour(Original Air Date: August 25, 2019) This week on the program, we air a forum looking at the vilification of / and distrust in/ the mediathe network of journalists, reporters, editors, producers and newscasters that gather and dispense the news. Referred to by many names: the press, the media, the fourth estate or the great bulwark of freedom; these organizations and individuals play an essential role in democracy and society and enjoy a long history in America, enshrined in the Constitution through the First Amendment in 1791.

Since its inception in the United States, the press has had no official designation or test of certification and is merely a profession guided by a set of ethical standards built on the publics trust. But based on a Galluppoll, trust in the media reached an all-time low in 2016 and has continued to receive unprecedented levels of mistrust from the American populace. Central to this drop in trust is the corresponding rise in accusations of fake news, alternative facts and media bias. But where did these accusations begin? How does one spot a real fake news story? And why is trust in the media important?

Addressing these questions and other concerns surrounding the press is Jennifer Napier-Pearce, editor of the Salt Lake Tribune.

This forum was recorded on April 10, 2019.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (50.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android |

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Fake News and Alternative Facts - KCPW

Take care before you share: Nazma Aapi is back with her witty yet important message on fake news - it s viral - Hindustan Times "; forYoudata += ""; forYoudata += ""; forYoudata += ""; count++; if (i === 7) { return false; } }); forYouApiResponse=forYoudata; $(forutxt).html('Recommended for you'); $(foruContent).html(forYoudata); } } }); } else if(forYouApiResponse!=''){ $(forutxt).html('Recommended for you'); $(foruContent).html(forYouApiResponse); } } function getUserData(){ $.ajax({ url:"https://www.hindustantimes.com/newsletter/get-active-subscription?usertoken="+user_token, type:"GET", dataType:"json", success: function(res){ if(res.length>0) { $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).hide(); }); } } }); } function postUserData(payLoad, elm){ var msgelm=$(elm).parents(".subscribe-update").nextAll("#thankumsg"); $.ajax({ url:"https://www.hindustantimes.com/newsletter/subscribe", type:"POST", data:payLoad, contentType: "application/json", dataType: "json", success: function(res){ if(res.success===true){ $(msgelm).show(); 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Take care before you share: Nazma Aapi is back with her witty yet important message on fake news - Hindustan Times

The growing stream of reporting on and data about fake news, misinformation, partisan content, and news literacy is hard to keep up with. This weekly roundup offers the highlights of what you might have missed.

In 2017, Facebook released a set of Tips to spot false news. Developed in collaboration with First Draft, the tips were promoted at the top of users news feeds in 14 countries in April 2017 and printed in full-page newspaper advertisements in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, and India, write the authors of a study published this week in PNAS. A variant of these tips was later distributed by WhatsApp (a Facebook subsidiary) in advertisements published in Indian and Pakistani newspapers in 2018. These tips are therefore almost surely the most widely disseminated digital media literacy intervention conducted to date.

The researchers tested the effectiveness of these tips on audiences in the U.S. and India and found that they worked.

Strikingly, our results indicate that exposure to variants of the Facebook media literacy intervention reduces peoples belief in false headlines. These effects are not only an artifact of greater skepticism toward all information although the perceived accuracy of mainstream news headlines slightly decreased, exposure to the intervention widened the gap in perceived accuracy between mainstream and false news headlines overall. In the United States, the effects of the treatment were particularly strong and remained statistically measurable after a delay of approximately 3 weeks. These findings suggest that efforts to promote digital media literacy can improve peoples ability to distinguish between false and mainstream news content, a result with important implications for both scientific research into why people believe misinformation online and policies designed to address the problem.

A brief intervention which could be inexpensively disseminated at scale can be effective at reducing the perceived accuracy of false news stories, the authors conclude, helping users more accurately gauge the credibility of news content they encounter on different topics or issues.

Consumer Reports Kaveh Waddell (hes an investigative reporter at the Consumer Reports Digital Lab, which launched last year and which Im looking forward to reading more from) points out that Facebook itself could surely shed further light on the these research findings: The company should know how many people clicked on the media literacy list, how long they spent on that page, whether they later changed their reading or sharing habits, and how long any effects lasted. But its not sharing. These scholars did an amazing job of looking at the scale of the intervention with the tools they had available, but Im just so disappointed that there isnt a way for an independent audit of what happened on the platform, First Drafts Claire Wardle told Waddell.

On the topic of brief interventions, Facebook is taking a cue from The Guardian and will show a warning if users try to share a story thats more than 90 days old. (If they still want to share it after that, they can.) Other types of notifications may be coming, too. From Facebooks John Hegeman, VP of feed and stories:

Over the past several months, our internal research found that the timeliness of an article is an important piece of context that helps people decide what to read, trust and share. News publishers in particular have expressed concerns about older stories being shared on social media as current news, which can misconstrue the state of current events. Some news publishers have already taken steps to address this on their own websites by prominently labeling older articles to prevent outdated news from being used in misleading ways.

Over the next few months, we will also test other uses of notification screens. For posts with links mentioning COVID-19, we are exploring using a similar notification screen that provides information about the source of the link and directs people to the COVID-19 Information Center for authoritative health information. Through providing more context, our goal is to make it easier for people to identify content thats timely, reliable and most valuable to them.

(OK, now do it for Trumps posts.)

The Shorenstein Center has a report on COVID-19 misinformation in Black online communities in the United States an especially crucial topic since Black people are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, dying of it at a higher rate than White people. Brandi Collins-Dexter identified four main strands of misinformation circulating some organic, some targeted directly at the community by outsiders.

1. Black people could not die from COVID-192. The virus was man-made for the purposes of population control3. The virus could be contained through use of herbal remedies4. 5G radiation was the root cause of COVID-19

Our research makes clear that the health misinformation surrounding COVID-19 poses an immediate threat to the health of Black people, and is a symptom of an information ecosystem poisoned by racial inequality, Collins-Dexter writes.

While there is much to be learned about COVID-19 and how it works, it is clear that misinformation and conspiratorial frames that suggest that Black people are somehow inoculated from the disease are both dangerous and patently untrue. Black lives are consistently put in danger, and it is incumbent upon community actors, media, government, and tech companies alike to do their part to ensure that timely, local, relevant, and redundant public health messages are served to all communities.

The Washington Posts Christopher Ingraham has a very useful, detailed roundup of three recent studies focused on conservative medias role in fostering confusion about the seriousness of the coronavirus. Taken together, they paint a picture of a media ecosystem that amplifies misinformation, entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking concrete steps to protect themselves and others.

Continued here:

The little things pop-ups, notifications, warnings work to fight fake news, new evidence shows - Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard