Group items tagged

"For a look at the sometimes-silly, sometimes-concerning false information that circulates the Internet, The Washington Post offers a weekly roundup on The Intersect, a blog dedicated to digital and Internet culture. Its series called "What was fake on the Internet this week?" can be a resource for teaching news literacy using timely examples that are relevant to an Internet-savvy generation. The most recent blog entry addresses topics such as fake tweets, false reports of a smartphone virus and bogus rumors that the National Rifle Association is banning guns at its annual convention. The Intersect blog also offers commentary on Internet and social media trends, viral content and hoaxes. Here are a few additional websites that debunk misinformation in the news:"

"We've offered blogging advice before and felt the topic was worth a revisit. That's why we asked you, our community of talented writers, to share your best blogging tips with us. Thanks for all the excellent recommendations you shared with us over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Here are some of our favorites:"

"Hobert's dreams include starting a lifestyle brand, but he wants to build his credibility first. A few years ago, his instinct may have been to start a blog. But Hobert says he loves to talk and was never the best writer, so a different medium has more appeal: a personal podcast. With his Purpose in the Youth podcast, he hopes to tell the stories of people who have found what they are passionate about. He was preparing to launch the first episode this week. The timing couldn't be better for new grads like Hobert to get in on the podcast craze. Twenty-one percent of Americans age 12 or older say they have listened to a podcast in the past month. That's a 17 percent increase in the last year and a 75 percent increase since 2013."

Blog for a course at Ringling College of Art & Design. Has links to student blogs as well.

Good advice for blog posts: "Last night, I was editing an article for a client of mine. I had somewhat of an epiphany as I was reading her writing. I realized that writing is similar to putting together a puzzle. That's really all it is at it's simplest form. A puzzle. A Beautifully Constructed Puzzle = Fantastic Writing"

"This past Sunday in Steubenville, Ohio, high school football stars Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond were convicted of raping an intoxicated and barely conscious 16-year-old girl. Author and cultural critic Jackson Katz talked about the implications of the case in this wide-ranging two-part interview with Media Education Foundation (MEF) Production Director Jeremy Earp."

"Fact is, there really is no such thing as "the media." It's an invention, a tool, an all-purpose smear by people who can't be bothered to make distinctions. Consider: There are hundreds of broadcast and cable TV networks, a thousand or so local TV stations, a few thousand magazines and newspapers, several thousand radio stations and roughly a gazillion websites, blogs, newsletters and podcasts. There's also Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and who knows what new digital thing. All of these, collectively, now constitute the media."

Some interesting short films here for class use or blog material. "At Updoc, we devote time, energy and creative juices to making films that have nothing to do with corporate sponsorships, but while the whoring trend runs rampant, make no mistake about it, we are all bed partners. You will find plenty of reference to products and corporations throughout many of our films. They are included to illustrate what's behind corporate backing, that the majority of the film industry would prefer you didn't know. The difference between Updoc Films and ninety nine percent of the film-making industry is that we refuse to allow product placement to infiltrate our work. We are not a cog in the wheel. We do not hide behind the notion that these expensive and carefully placed advertisements are a natural part of life and should be included on an average of every three minutes for your viewing pleasure. We won't do that to you. We're different; the kind of different that won't leave you groping for your soul in twenty years. We like sleeping at night."

"The man who served as executive producer on such blockbusters as "Django Unchained," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Reservoir Dogs," Weinstein is no stranger to controversy, and often gets behind films with a social conscience. It's with a similar agenda that he tells Piers Morgan of his pledge to stay away from egregious gun violence in future projects, in the process, answering critics who suggest his verbal attacks against the NRA stand in dark contrast to many of the movies he's helped make."

"News literacy is a relatively new field in media studies that focuses on defining and teaching the skills that citizens need to evaluate the credibility of the information they encounter, and on examining the role that credible information plays in a representative democracy. It's also a subject that most students find inherently engaging and relevant. In fact, a recent study found that 84 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 say they would benefit from learning these skills. 3 Exercises in News Literacy"

"There is so much fake stuff on the Internet in any given week that we've grown of tired of debunking it all. Fake Twitter fights. Fake DHL ads. Amazing viral video? Nope - a Jimmy Kimmel stunt! In these heady Internet times, it's all too easy for a fictional story to gain traction in the span of a few hours. More perniciously, it's easy for news organizations to slap a sexy headline on a story, or pull the juiciest nugget from a study, and drop it on the Internet - forgetting that, in many cases, social-media users don't actually click through and read the whole thing. So rather than take down each and every undeservedly viral story that crosses our monitors each week, we're trying this out - a quick, once-a-week debunk of fake photos, misleading headlines and bad studies that you probably shouldn't share over the weekend. "

"Did you hear about the "wolf" that was allegedly roaming the halls of a hotel in Sochi, Russia, during the Olympics? Turns out, it was a Jimmy Kimmel media prank, just like his viral prank last fall of the twerking girl who caught on fire."

"Yesterday, two events relating to institutional racism coincided and competed for headlines.  A federal judge ruled New York City's infamous stop-and-frisk policy unconstitutional because it amounted to racial profiling by targeting African-Americans and Latinos. And US Attorney General Eric Holder announced an end-run around "draconian" Congressional drug laws by ordering the Justice Department to discontinue aggressive pursuit of low-level, non-violent drug offenders."

"Once a mark of rebellion, tattoos are fast becoming one of corporate America's favorite branding tools. This spring, Red Bull and the British e-tailer ASOS also set up pop-up tattoo parlors (at Miami Music Week and SXSW, respectively), and Sailor Jerry rum hosted a SXSW party where attendees were offered free tattoos of anchors and other brand-related designs. Last year, HBO gave away Game of Thrones tats, and this August free tattoos will be offered at a VIP Lollapalooza event hosted by Chicago's Hard Rock Hotel. For today's marketers, tattoos are just another gimmick-a sort of permanent promotional T-shirt. "Who needs a food truck at your party when you can do a tattoo truck?" says Bruce Starr, a partner at BMF Media, the agency behind the Hard Rock and ASOS events."

"Blue chip technology companies grabbed four of the top five spots in the annual ranking of most valuable brands by the consultants at Interbrand."

"In recent years, the web has exploded with images, blogs and microsites that glorify dangerous weight loss at any cost. Photos of emaciated girls tagged with #thinspiration and #thinspo saturate Twitter feeds and Tumblrs. Waist-down shots picture girls in gym gear that hangs off their shrinking bodies. Pinterest photos depict women with #thighgap; they're so thin that, even with feet together, their thighs don't touch, a genetic impossibility in most, but one that can occur in the dangerously thin. In a sense, the phenomenon is nothing new. Similar photos have been online since the late '90s. But their volume and accessibility is unprecedented. One survey shows that between 2006 and 2008 alone, the number of such sites had increased by 470%. At the same time, dieters are getting younger. According to NEDA, 40-60% of girls aged 6-12 are concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat."

"The teachable moments blog features timely commentary from NLP staff and participants that turns current events into news literacy learning opportunities."

"Sometimes, you just want to hear the truth-and that's where the Honest Slogans Tumblr comes in. Created by Nashville-based graphic designer Clif Dickens, the blog uses well-known slogans, editing them to say what we're all really thinking. Gone are the industry's claims of health and well-being, and in their place are some honest takes on the foods we're buying and eating. "

"Writing about her experience on Slate.fr, Ms. Lejeune said that from 2011 to 2013, members of the group left insulting comments on her feminist blog and falsely suggested she had slept with her boss."

"Saying it's "the medias" fault confuses me. Is that your local meteorologist? The person who covers lifestyle news in the city newspaper? The video editor at CNN? The host of an opinion show? Me writing this article? You on social media? Your neighbor who just started a blog? I'm not quite sure who "the media" is (or are), but since everyone else is aware, for the sake of this post, I'll use the term. When people say news and media coverage is slanted and there's an agenda, I really don't see it. This is why."