Daily Archives: September 17, 2022

Four years after seeing a tsunami of falsehoods related to the presidential election, Brazil enters the 2022 campaign season much better equipped. The country has more professional fact-checkers. Social media platforms have built war rooms. Influencers are engaged in the battle against fake news, and fantastic tools have been developed to combat Portuguese-language misinformation and disinformation.

As always, candidates, parties and supporters will work hard to push narratives capable of undermining their rivals, even if they include misleading or incorrect data. But its clear that Brazilians, including the authorities, are much more alert and ready to combat those lies.

In 2018, the vast majority of the population fully believed the content of videos, photos and texts shared by friends and family members. Only a few Brazilians, mainly in the large cities, knew about the work of fact-checkers, and very few citizens had the ability to somehow assess the veracity of pieces of content using databases and online tools.

On August 16, when the 2022 campaign officially starts, Brazil will have six certified fact-checking organizations in full operation: Lupa, Estado Verifica, Aos Fatos, UOL Confere, AFP and Reuters. The expression fake news has become popular and is understood even in tiny rural communities. In the last four years, Brazilians learned that they should doubt the content they see online and can spot it much better than before.

Unfortunately, the federal government hasnt been part of this effort. President Jair Bolsonaro has instead repeated false claims about the integrity of Brazils voting system, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and other subjects.

From last Octobers special report on the battle over fake news:

Nevertheless, Brazil is in good shape to face this years election. Social media platforms did a lot of work in the last four years. Pushed by the TSE, which created an Anti-Disinformation Committee, 11 major tech companies presented concrete plans to fight electoral mis- and disinformation in Brazil in 2022. They revamped and adjusted their public policies, hired more people and increased their investments in product development. The group is obviously trying to look good (or better than they did in 2018), but their effort has been noticed and will still have an impact in the long run.

Authorities entered 2022 clearly aware of the damage that mis- and disinformation can do and the risk faced by democracy itself. The Supreme Court, for example, has banned channels and profiles disseminating lies about the voting machines and has requested platforms remove false content about different candidates. Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who is also president of the TSE for the entirety of the campaign, has openly said candidates can lose the right to run for a public office if their campaigns disseminate false narratives.

Its also great to see that, differently from 2018, hundreds of digital influencers seem ready to fight mis- and disinformation. A group of 30 online celebrities went to the TSE on August 4 to understand how voting machines work and how they can teach their followers to identify misleading content. Those 30 influencers can reach 10 million people with a few clicks and will be promoting data-based content as much as possible.

New tools are also availableand in Portuguese! On one platform, a bot is ready to point out the minute and second of a video that might contain a falsehood about the electoral system. Less overt, but still important, measures include a speech-to-text transcription program that has just been released in Portuguese for journalists to use freely. This tool should free journalists up to spend more time detecting and, consequently, fighting election-related fake news. The creators estimate that in 2018, journalists would spend 50 hours transcribing their own interviews with candidates and other important figures. In 2022, they should spend only eight hours.

For all these reasons, its possible to be optimistic. Disinformation is now on the stage, and many Brazilians are ready to fight it. The pending issue on the table for this year is hate speech, which will likely present our next set of lessons.

Tardguila is senior program director at the International Center for Journalists and founder of Lupa, a Brazilian fact-checking agency

Any opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Quarterly or its publishers.

Read more:

Brazil Has Never Been So Prepared to Fight Fake News - Americas Quarterly

HOUSTON - Typically, the rhythm of the NFL regular season, especially the early part of the week, will depend on the result from the previous game. With a win, a team may not have to appear en masse until Wednesday. A loss, and the squad will be back in, also en masse, ready to go Monday morning.

However, the Texans found themselves facing uncharted waters this week, and not just because it is a new season/regime. After the result from Sundays clash with the Colts, the Texans find themselves unbeaten. They also find themselves un-victorious. They survived a 20-20 tie. While they rest atop the division this week, there was some confusion about the next step.

So, are we like, having to go in Monday, or is it Tuesday, or do we get the full off time to Wednesday? When do we all have to show up one unnamed player.

Hey, I have some, like, team performance bonuses in my contract. Does this tie, like, help me get my money, or am I gonna get screwed? another player lamented.

Not sure what to do here. Do I go with my sad gas mask, since we didnt win, or do I bust out the celebratory one since we didnt lose? noted an unnamed offensive lineman.

Oh, wait, I know chimed in rookie Thomas Booker. Why dont we talk to Mr. Weeks. Wasnt he around the last time that a team in Houston tied a game?

Kid, that was way back in 1971, when the Houston team tied New Orleans 13-13. Been a while. retorted Jon Weeks.

Yeah, back then, the Houston pro team was in the AFL quipped fellow rookie Austin Deculus. So tell us, what was it like in the AFL? I heard yall had some wild, wild times on and off the field. Something about you driving Joe Namath in car with a bunch of chicks in go-go attire

No, no, dont disrespect the old man that way! Booker immediately chimed in. You know good and well that the merger was in 1970. Houston was in the NFL by then. Hey, I read that Dan Pastorini was the punter for that game. He played QB too. What was it like snapping punts to him, Mr. Weeks?

It was at this point that Jon Weeks sprung as rapidly as a man at his age could from his locker room rocking chair and vigorously swung his cane at the impudent rookies, who had long since departed the area.

Some of the coaches were also confused.

I dont know what to do? Since we didnt secure the win, the players clearly sucked [Easterby] on the field, so that would be worthy of tearing them all new [Easterbys]. Yet, we also didnt lose, so just how harsh can you really be on the guys? We blew the lead, so they need to be run into the ground, but they held off the Colts from the win, so that shows resiliency. I aint got any more motivational arrows here opined one unnamed coach.

Our coaches not sure about what to do in pressure situations or how to manage the talent? Theres a switch. muttered Dameon Pierce under his breath, all while still fleeing the hit radius of the Weeks cane.

As for the top executives, the responses were mixed. Several staffers reported a flurry of activity Sunday evening from Nick Caserios office.

Apparently, he was in quite a stir, trying to process the Sunday result. Spent a lot of time tearing his office apart looking for some sort of report/files from his previous employer that might offer a road-map on how the squad should process the tie. It got crazy. You could overhear him shouting as he ransacked his office. It was allWhere is it? Where is it? Here it isHow to break the encryption codes for your opponents Coach-to-QB headsets.no, nowait, here we go50 ways to tell off the media, or just repeat one statement 50 times, no, wait is this itHow to untangle yourself from legal troubles as a result of actions with a massageNOPE, DEFINITELY NOT THAT ONE!!!!

[EASTERBY] it to [EASTERBY]! I spent nearly 15 years with an organization that dedicated brainpower on how to deal with a free kick, cold weather games, a 3rd and 8 at your own 41.5 yard line, with 1:05 left in the 4th, down 2, with your opponent wearing orange jerseys, with 45% moon illumination and facing a 15 mph wind out of the ENE; but nothing about dealing with a [EASTERBY] [EASTERBY] tie! KKKKKKKRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAFFFFFTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Others at the highest levels of the Texans organization took a morepositive attitude.

Once again, the most holy and divine Texans, perhaps inspired by the well-intentioned and well-compensated lungs of the humble Easterby, er, I mean by the blessings of the Most High, put forth a spirited effort, and find themselves sitting upon their rightful place, at the hand of the Father, and atop the AFC South. 2 straight opening days games which we did not fall to defeat. Clearly, the purging of the Philistines of the Gospel of the Smart, Tough, Dependable did much to inspire this team, exclaimed a jubilant and overactively-attention-seeking Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Isnt that right, Lovie?

Shut up, Jack.

When we asked Coach Smith about how he felt his debut went, he was non-committal. The team played ok. Thought the tie was the best of a tough situation. The kids will be fine.

See, a hire that doesnt lose his season opener. Not like the False Prophet, or whoever that one coach was that lost his debut. What was that losers name.

Jack

Yes?

Shut up

As the Texans continue to sort through the ramifications of this historic result, we at Totally Not Fake News will continue to monitor the progress of the team, especially as they prepare for the Denver Broncos. Until then, readers.

Read the original here:

Totally Not Fake News: The Texans And The Fallout From History - Battle Red Blog

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is looking into the possibility of filing complaints against those who are spreading that Vice President Sara Duterte was using the presidential helicopter to go home to Davao City.

According to a report on "24 Oras", Duterte's spokesman said a lot of people were being fooled by these types of posts.

He said people would believe the posts that if they would allow them to spread.

The issue came to fore after Duterte posted on Facebook a birthday message for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., thanking him and the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing (PAW) to make sure she that wherever she was in the country during daytime, she'd be home at night when her children would go to sleep.

In a new Facebook post on Thursday, the Vice President said whoever made the untruth from her appreciation post should seriously reflect on why he had to lie.

The Air Force said Duterte may use the chopper especially when she is carrying out her mandate. NB, GMA News

See the article here:

OVP studying whether to file complaints vs. those spreading fake news regarding Duterte - GMA News Online

We refer to teens today as digital natives and often turn to them for technical assistance when navigating the apps and platforms that have become essential to our daily functioning. But although todays teens cant remember a time before the internet, when it comes to separating fact from fiction in the digital realm, theyre remarkably naive.

A recent study published in the journal Frontiers In Psychology found that a significant number of teens were unable to distinguish between true and fake health-related messages.

Researchers at Comenius University in Slovakia presented 300 students in Slovakian secondary schools, ages 16-19, with a series of messages regarding the health benefits of specific fruits and vegetables. The teens were asked to rate the trustworthiness of each message. Some of the messages were fake, others were true, and some true messages were altered in ways that previous research has shown reduces credibility: written using superlatives, a clickbait-style, grammar mistakes, authority appeal or bold typeface.

The teens were also asked questions to gauge their scientific reasoning, analytical thinking and media literacy, so that researchers could control for these factors.

One encouraging finding from the study is that 48% of participants rated true messages as more trustworthy than fake ones. However, 41% of participants were not able to distinguish between fake and true messages, rating true messages as only marginally more trustworthy than fake ones. Eleven percent of participants rated fake messages as more trustworthy than true ones.

Interestingly, researchers found that the editorial alteration of the messages did not impact the teens perception of their trustworthiness with one notable exception.

The only version of a health message that was significantly less trusted compared to a true health message was a message with a clickbait headline, Radomr Masaryk, the studys principal investigator, said in a press release.

Overall, the results suggest that many teens are vulnerable to fake messages, or misinformation, spread online, and point to the need for more education in media literacy.

As adolescents are frequent users of the internet, we usually expect that they already know how to approach and appraise online information, but the opposite seems to be true, said Masaryk.

Given the alarming spread of health-related misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgency to teaching kids and teens the skills they need to evaluate the credibility of online sources of news and information. These skills are often referred to as media literacy, and there is a growing movement to mandate instruction of them in U.S. schools.

When COVID hit, many educators saw the manifestation of misinformation among some teens via their choices regarding getting vaccinated and wearing masks, Olga Polites, a former high school English teacher who is now an instructor at Rowan University and the New Jersey chapter leader of Media Literacy Now, told HuffPost.

When I asked them to identify where they got their information from, they defaulted to I read it on my phone, or I saw it on TikTok, said Polites, who believes that while COVID brought the issue to light, it is one that has been escalating for many years.

For example, in 2019, the Stanford History Education Group issued a report that included the finding that 96% of students surveyed failed to consider that ties to the fossil fuel industry might affect the credibility of a climate change website.

Adolescents also may not understand the difference between social media companies and news companies or be able to identify sponsored content.

Michael Spikes, a lecturer in journalism at Northwestern University and the Illinois chapter leader of Media Literacy Now, said that because teens spend a lot of time in online platforms that are free to them, but commoditize their time spent on it to advertisers, they end up being exposed to more false information than most adults.

Teens, Spikes said, jump to conclusions based on how persuasive the speaker may be, or if an image is provided that may or may not be related to the subject at hand. Spikes added that these behaviors are common in adults, too, and because these media skills are new to many teachers as well, professional development is an important part of media literacy education.

There is evidence that such education is effective. In another study involving the Stanford History Education Group, this one in 2021, researchers found that students significantly improved their ability to judge the credibility of sources after receiving six one-hour lessons in evaluation strategies over the course of three months from trained teachers.

Aiden DeMarsey, a recent high school graduate in New Jersey, told HuffPost that when hes online he tries to stick to trustworthy sources like the Associated Press and the New Jersey Globe, and he avoids social media platforms when it comes to seeking out news. Red flags that hes noticed include words in all caps or buzzwords in a title.

We need to have active conversations in classrooms and at our kitchen tables regarding current events and how to reliably get information, DeMarsey said.

What can parents do to help their kids distinguish between real and fake news?

Even if youre not at the head of the classroom, there are a number of ways you can encourage the development of these skills in your own children.

1. Share news stories with your children. Drawing from credible national and local sources, be on the lookout for articles that will be of interest to your kids, and editorials about the issues important to them.

2. Practice what Polites has dubbed good information behavior. Instead of leading with, I dont know if this is true or not because I saw it on Facebook... talk about news you encounter in credible sources, and open by naming your source. For example, I just read an article in HuffPost...

3. Take an interest in the media your teen is consuming. Its easy for adults to simply ignore or reject the things that young people are into, said Spikes, But by showing them how to engage with media actively, they can begin to plant the seed for their young people to... engage in a deeper analysis of what they are consuming.

4. When discussing a media message with your teen (even if its not something you think qualifies as news, such as a TikTok video), ask the following questions, as suggested by the National Association for Media Literacy Education.

5. Talk about media literacy with your teen. Ask them how they define news and what it means to them to be informed. Be curious and listen attentively to what theyre trying to tell you instead of asserting your own opinions. Ask follow-up questions.

6. Use available online resources. There are a number of organizations dedicated to promoting media literacy. Here are several:

More:

Study Says Many Teens Cant Tell The Difference Between Real And Fake News - HuffPost

TikTok is surely the worst social network to find out about the latest news, according to the new study by NewsGuard. Indeed, the number of fake news on the platform is particularly high there, on several different current topics. An alarming observation when the application now serves as a search engine for many teenagers.

If we cannot deny the terrible efficiency of its algorithm to make us spend hours in front of our screen nor the considerable increase in the quality of videos in recent years, we must recognize that TikTok has a long list of flaws of size. Sometimes singled out for its use of personal data, sometimes for its stupid and dangerous challenges, the application is far from unanimous among Internet users.

Newsguards new study may not improve its public image. According to the company committed against misinformation, the Chinese social network gives pride of place to fake news. The latter are indeed much more present on TikTok than among its competitors: according to the organization, it is almost one in five videos that share false information.

To achieve this result, Newsguard searched for various news stories within the app, from the war in Ukraine to Covid vaccines. This method was not chosen at random, as teenagers increasingly use TikTok as a real search engine, gradually replacing Google. Regarding health, for example, Newsguard evokes the case of an influencer highlighting chloroquine to treat all her ailments, when even its effectiveness against Covid has never been proven.

On the same subject TikTok: you can now activate or deactivate subtitles on all videos

TikTok toxicity is now a significant danger because Google research suggests that TikTok is increasingly used by young people () to find informationis alarmed NewsGuard, which also specifies that the subjects sought by young people are very often controversial online, such as the American elections. For its part, TikTok replied that its Rules make it clear that we do not allow harmful misinformation, including medical misinformation, and we are removing content that falls within it from the platform.

Source: NewsGuard

View original post here:

TikTok is infested with fake news, according to this study - Gearrice

In early September, the Ukrainian army launched an offensive on the countrys Kharkiv region, causing occupying Russian troops to retreat for the first time since the start of the full-scale war. According to independent analyses, Ukrainian forces have regained control of thousands of square kilometers. While the Russian Defense Ministry has technically confirmed the withdrawal, it claims the goal of this new operation is to consolidate its troops in the Donbas, not to flee a Ukrainian attack. Heres what Russias TV personalities had to say about the retreat on September 11.

TV pundit Dmitry Kiselyov brought up the retreat at the very start of his show. He noted that the past week had been one of the most difficult since the start of the war, and that it was particularly difficult in the Kharkiv area, where, amidst an onslaught of superior enemy forces, were forced to abandon previously-liberated settlements.

Kiselyov also claimed that the Ukrainian army had suffered heavy losses and that Russian forces managed to stabilize the situation and avoid getting surrounded. In a segment about Ukraines offensive on Kupyansk, a correspondent claimed that Ukrainian forces fired on residential areas and that their units are run predominantly by Western mercenaries.

Viewers were also told that Ukrainian troops in the Kherson region were unable to secure gains that appeared attainable at the start of the offensive, and that this was the reason why Ukainian soldiers began terrorizing civilians. Russian troops, said the correspondent, continue to gain ground in the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic.

Kiselyov also claimed that Ukrainians are carrying out filtration operations in their newly conquered territories, and that neo-Nazis have threatened to kill civilians especially those who managed to get Russian passports. Its all very sad, he concluded.

A digest of Russias investigative reports and news analysis. If it matters, we summarize it.

Weekly Review host Irada Zeinalova didnt go into detail about the Russian army's retreat on Sunday, but the episode did include a press briefing from Igor Konashenkov, a Russian Defense Ministry representative. Konashenkov announced an operation to curtail and organize the transfer of troops from the Izyum-Balakliya direction to scale up efforts in the Donetsk area.

A segment filmed on the ground in Ukraine claimed that fighting in the Kharkiv region was ongoing, but that the worst case scenario the encirclement of union forces that Ukraine so desires didnt come to pass. In addition, said the correspondent, the Ukrainian-American-European forces are in a weak position because theyre spread so thin along the front line.

Nonetheless, he continued, Ukraine continues to spread fake reports of a victory.

Sunday Time, the final show of the week from Russias flagship news channel, Channel One, contained almost no mention of the Russian army's retreat.

Fierce fighting in recent days: the elimination of remaining militants, who suffered huge losses as they tried to break through to Kherson; the liberation of strategically important parts of the DNR; and the regrouping of troops, the host said at the top of the episode.

The network aired excerpts from Konashenkovs briefing that included his claims about Ukrainian losses, but didnt show his announcement about the operation to curtail and organize the transfer of troops from the Kharkiv region.

Next, there was a segment on the feats of soldiers and commanders during the course of the regrouping that was mentioned earlier. The correspondent didnt give any details about the regrouping other than by repeating the Defense Ministrys statement about the operation to curtail and organize the transfer of troops out of the Izyum-Balakliya area.

Go here to read the rest:

Heavy losses for Ukraine, the feats of Russian soldiers, and fake news from Kyiv - Meduza

Denny Hamlin was the first NASCAR athlete to be sponsored by the Jordan brand, and thats how his relationship with Michael Jordan started. However, once Hamlin supposedly read an article that speculated that the two could be moving towards creating their own NASCAR team, and that piqued Hamlins interest in talking to the NBA legend about the idea.

Hamlin stated, Ill never forget, I was on the ninth hole of my home golf course and I was like, Should I send Michael this article? Let me get his temperature here. And I sent it to him and he responded immediately, says Haha, obviously fake news, not real, but if you want to make it real news let me know?'

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That was how 23XI Racing, a 150 million dollar team, was born. A simple fake news report got the two athletes to come together and make it a reality.

Following the Pocono qualification incident with Kurt Busch, it has been quite a few races since he was last seen racing. As he heals from his brain injury following the impact, 23XI Racings co-owner, Denny Hamlin thinks that Busch might return to racing next season.

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23XI has stated that they will be ready in case Kurt Busch decides to return in 2023. In a statement, Hamlin said, We still feel like Kurts going to run next year and if he doesnt, weve already got contingency plans for the 45 car.

WATCH THIS STORY:Bubba Wallace contemplates calling Daniel Ricciardo for sensational F1-NASCAR swap amidst ongoing Project91

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While Kyle Busch made the jump to RCR, taking over Tyler Reddicks car, uncertainty hovers over Reddicks future. There could be a chance that if Kurt Busch decided to retire, 23XI Racing could perhaps get Tyler Reddick a year early.

However, as there has been no news to indicate which car Reddick would be driving, it would be in everyones best interest to wait for an official statement from RCR.

Link:

NASCAR & NBA Arent the Sports Responsible for Michael Jordan & Denny Hamlins $150 Million Fake News Collaboration - EssentiallySports