Tag Archives: fake news

What is “Pink Slime” Journalism, and Why is it Such a Problem?

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Ralph Hanson

Back in 2012, American consumers were grossed out by stories that found ground beef sold in plastic chubs was often supplemented with the meat byproduct euphemistically known as “finely chopped beef.” This collection of “trimmings” is sprayed with ammonia gas … Continue reading →

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Separating real and fake news online

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Ralph Hanson

Just because people are talking about something online doesn’t mean that something exists. Especially if it’s something really stupid you would like to believe about stupid people. The Tide Pod challenge was largely a figment of people’s imagination. But Tide … Continue reading →

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Fighting Against “Fake News” with the Truth Sandwich

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Ralph Hanson

This week my media literacy class is working on the concept of fake news.  I’m having them take a look at the history of how both the concept and term have been used over the last several centuries. Aside from … Continue reading →

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Talking about the news and how we respond to it

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Ralph Hanson

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I’m working to finish all the supporting materials for the seventh edition of Mass Communication: Living in a Media World, which hasn’t left much time for blogging. Hope to get back on a regular schedule … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

What’s the story behind the possible end of Snopes? Yes, it’s a true story. Sadly, it’s a typical new media battle over who will control a web site. Truly hope this ends well. How do reporters (or anyone else) authenticate … Continue reading →

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What do we talk about when we talk about fake news – Part 3

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

This is the final day of sequentially posting a paper I’m giving at the Western Social Science Association.  Instead of being in the form of a traditional academic paper, I’m going to post it in HTML with links to many of … Continue reading →

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What do we talk about when we talk about fake news? Part 2

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Over three days I’m sequentially posting a paper I’m giving at the Western Social Science Association.  Instead of being in the form of a traditional academic paper, I’m going to post it in HTML with links to many of the … Continue reading →

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What do we talk about when we talk about fake news? Part 1

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

Over the next three days I’m going to be sequentially posting a paper I’m giving at the Western Social Science Association.  Instead of being in the form of a traditional academic paper, I’m going to post it in HTML with … Continue reading →

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If a news story punches all your buttons – it probably isn’t so…

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Ralph Hanson

You know how you’ve always been warned about being careful when something seems too good to be true? That’s never more the case than when you see a story online and say to yourself, “YES! This is exactly how I … Continue reading →

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All Media are Social – alt-right figure off Twitter, death threats on Facebook & fake news ban on Google

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

Lots of social media in the news this week: Twitter suspends prominent alt-right accounts Twitter has suspended a number of accounts associated with alt-right figure Richard Spencer.  Spencer is the president of a white nationalist think tank. In the past, … Continue reading →

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