Vocabulary- "Finding the Facts"

Conspiracy Theory

Belief that a secret, powerful group of people is causing major news events, manipulating politics and the economy, or hiding important information about the world

Disinformation

False information that is deliberately created and shared to cause harm. It has the goal of confusing people about what is true and influencing how they think and act.

Hoax

A deliberate falsehood designed to trick people into believing something happened that didn’t.

Information Pollution

The accumulation of false, misleading, or otherwise low-quality information that is circulated online, making it difficult for people to determine what information is reliable or true.

Lateral Reading

"Leaving the page," to conduct simple research into a source or claim. Examples include Wikipedia to look up the reputation of a source

Misinformation

Information that is false but that is created and/or spread without the intent to cause harm (though harm may result). The person sharing misinformation believes it to be true.

Vertical Reading

The process of evaluating information by analyzing the text itself to assess reliability. These strategies are commonly packaged as checklists, such as the CRAAP test, and have been demonstrated to routinely backfire when applied to information online. Examples included looking for signs of professionalism, or checking the url for .com or .org (“staying on the page”)

Advocacy

Activity by an individual or group that aims to influence public opinion and decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. They can include media campaigns, public speaking and publishing research

Agenda

A list of things to do. in the context of information literacy, it refers to what a person or group is trying to do. It becomes relevant when it is not obvious or deliberately obscured, such as when information from sources is made to look more professional or independent than it really is.

Bias

The favoring of one point of view over another

Domain Knowledge

Deep understanding of a specific topic or specialized discipline

Expert

People who have domain knowledge or authoritative knowledge or skills in a specific area.

Lobby Group

A group of people with common goals who try to influence public opinion and government policy.

News Organization

Exist to provide information about current affairs (print publications, broadcast news, online media)

Reference Source

Designed to help you find specific types of information quickly (Encyclopedias, dictionaries, maps and atlases, almanacs)

Social Movement

Type of group action intended to carry out or reverse social change

Think Tank

An organization that does research on topics related to public policy. The purpose is to advocate for certain issues or influence government policy

Claim

Something that someone says is true or factual - but sometimes it is not truthful; an assertion of truth

Fact

Something known or proven to be true; a claim demonstrably true

Fact-Checking Organization

A reputable professional group that employs individuals to research contested claims, reach conclusions, and back them up with facts

Factual Claim

Can be proven, true or false, by verifiable information. They are not necessarily true, but attempt to convince you that something is true

Opinion

A view or judgement formed about something not necessarily based off facts or evidence/knowledge

Value Claim

Based on judgements/opinions - cannot be proven or disproven.

Verify

The act of determining through research a claim's degree of accuracy

False Context

When real context is shared with a false comment or summary that misrepresents the story; accurate content shared with false or misleading contextual information, such as when an unaltered image is paired with a false or misleading claim

Reporting on Reporting

When a media organization or site takes original reporting from one or more other source(s), and creates a new story based on the old one(s). Often in the process of re-reporting, key context is left out, information exaggerated, and risk of error or misrepresentation is increased

Distorted

Misrepresented; explained in a false or misleading way

Reverse Image Search

A search technique where an image is used as the “search term” instead of words. Results will show where else on the internet the image has appeared. They will sometimes reveal if a photo has been altered or used out of context

Context

Important background information that helps interpret and fully understand a claim, story, or image

Altered

Changed or manipulated

Business

An organization that sells goods or services for profit

Reconfigure

Change the structure or arrangement of something