HIST 101 with Prof.

WIELA IGNALIG

A FIGHT AGAINST
MISINFORMATION
 Studying history helps us
understandhow events
in the past made things
the way they are today.
With lessons from the past,
we not only learn about
ourselves and how we came to be,
but also develop the ability
to avoid mistakes and
create better paths for our
societies.
 REMINDERS AND TIPS IN READING
INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET
If you get
information from
CHECK THE SOURCE Google It social media,
check the original
WHEN AN ARTICLE CITES If you found out something via source.
PRIMARY SOURCE, ITS social media, you should take 5

When someone asks you

GOOD TO CHECK THEM seconds and just Google it! More
OUT. IF YOU CAN'T FIND often than not, a Google search will
THE PRIMARY SOURCES, show:
READ AS MUCH THE TOPIC If other reputable news sites are
AS YOU CAN TO GET A
reporting on the same thing
FEEL FOR WHAT'S
ALREADY OUT THERE AND If a fact-check website has
DECIDE FOR YOURSELF IF already debunked the claim
THE ARTICLE IS ACCURATE If only biased news
OR NOT. organizations are reporting the
claim -- in this case, it may
require more digging.
where you heard
something, if your first
inclination is to say Twitter,
you need to stop and
check because Twitter
itself tells you nothing.
Twitter gives people a feed
of people who will tell you
things. . People who have
credibility generally put
information in their bios to

bolster their credibility..

 Read beyond the
headline.

read the story fully.
“It's important to
Very often, headlines are misleading
and are not there to inform you. The
purpose of the headline is to get you to
click on the link or to buy the
newspaper, or to tune in if you're
channel surfing,” says Ruston. Editors
write headlines to grab your attention,
and often the person writing the
headline didn’t write the story, so they
have a less nuanced understanding of
the content.

 Get your news

from a variety
of sources

“If you read something and if your reaction is any

sort of extreme emotion, outrage or unmitigated
joy, that’s a clear indicator that you should
definitely read more deeply,” says Ruston. “Many
of the disinformation examples we’ve come
across in our research are designed not to inform
but rather to activate a strong anger or fear
response.” People should check with additional
news sources to confirm information they feel
strongly about.
Always Remember
If you don't know history, then you
don't know anything.

Michael Crichton