{"id":7611,"date":"2017-05-10T14:58:54","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T12:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newinsights.oeb.global\/?p=7611"},"modified":"2017-05-10T15:21:14","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T13:21:14","slug":"disinformation-and-discernment-oeb-to-tackle-fake-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oeb.global\/oeb-insights\/disinformation-and-discernment-oeb-to-tackle-fake-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Disinformation and Discernment \u2013 OEB to Tackle \u2018Fake News\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>These days, it seems as though \u2018fake news\u2019 is everywhere. It is nothing new, though. In fact, it has been with us for a very long time \u2013 at least since the invention of printing and probably for much longer. <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Harold Elletson<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of history\u2019s greatest peddlars of fake news also happened to be one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, Ben Franklin. In 1782, he printed a fake supplement to an edition of the Boston Independent Chronicle and sent it to various colleagues, who he was confident would ensure its circulation among a British readership.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The main article in the supplement told of a letter from the chiefs of the Senneka Indians to the British Governor of Canada, for onward transmission to King George III. The article claimed that Britain\u2019s native American allies were indulging in the wholesale scalping of colonists and the American troops defending them. It even purported to reproduce the text of the letter, which it claimed was attached to a large packet of scalps, intended as a gift for the King.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe send these scalps over the water to the great King,\u201d the letter said, \u201cthat he may regard them and be refreshed; and that he may see our faithfulness in destroying his enemies, and be convinced that his presents have not been made to ungrateful people.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The article, which listed the various scalps and their provenance \u2013 soldiers, farmers, women, children, unborn babies ripped from their mothers\u2019 wombs etc \u2013 was gruesome enough to catch the attention of several British editors, as Franklin had intended, and it was reproduced in a number of British newspapers. Franklin\u2019s purpose was to stir up a wave of indignation at the methods employed by the King\u2019s allies and to engender sympathy for the American colonists.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Franklin\u2019s fake news is a classic example of a disinformation campaign. It was designed to undermine morale, sap confidence and destroy civilian support for Britain\u2019s war in America. Once he had produced his fake article, Franklin took great pains to ensure its distribution to the widest possible audience, sending it to his contacts in the media and in Britain with heavy hints that it should be reprinted and redistributed. It was not until 70 years after its publication, long after the United States had secured their independence from Britain, that the American authorities admitted the story was entirely false.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today, fake news is difficult to avoid and some commentators even encourage us to believe that we should accept it, as we now live in a \u2018post-truth\u2019 era. From politics to commerce, disinformation, distorted facts and fake news are rife and increasingly accepted as a legitimate part of an election campaign or a marketing strategy. The internet, which has brought incalculable benefits in increasing global access to information, has also created unprecedented opportunities for the distortion of facts, the suppression of truth and the telling of lies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA lie,\u201d as Churchill said, \u201ccan be half way round the world before the truth has got its boots on.\u201d In the internet age, however, the situation is much more serious. Distribution is easy and quick. A fake news story can be distributed globally in seconds, entering the media mainstream within hours and often remaining unchecked or uncontested for days. These days, a lie can travel the whole way round the world before the truth has even begun to think about getting out of bed and going anywhere near its boots.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This opportunity has not been lost on some of those with a penchant for cynicism and a determined political agenda. The Kremlin, for example, has been running a well-resourced and carefully planned campaign of information warfare in Germany and other European countries for at least the last three years. The aim of the campaign has been to weaken Moscow\u2019s European opponents and, in doing so, to secure political and strategic advantages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The so-called \u2018Lisa affair\u2019 was a part of this campaign. Lisa was a thirteen-year-old ethnic Russian girl from Berlin, who was allegedly abducted by a gang of refugees, held prisoner for thirty hours and repeatedly raped. The Berlin police quickly concluded that the girl\u2019s story was false but, after it was reported by a Russian news organisation and redistributed through social media by the Russian diaspora in Germany, it was soon picked up by the mainstream news media. Its effect was to encourage widespread protests and demonstrations, undermining the German government\u2019s position on welcoming refugees and damaging the Chancellor, Angela Merkel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Concern about the possible effect of disinformation and fake news has now become so widespread that both NATO and the European Union, as well as many individual governments, have established special task forces to deal with the problem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However, according to the organisers of a workshop on the theory and practice of disinformation, which will be held at OEB\u2019s MidSummit<\/a> in Reykjavik on June 8th<\/sup>, the whole issue is a symptom of a much bigger problem \u2013 to which education is the only viable solution.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem in our internet age, when we are overloaded with information and have a seemingly limitless supply of sources for it, is that it is extremely difficult for most people to sort the wheat from the chaff,\u201d says Chris Donnelly<\/a>, Director of the Institute for Statecraft. \u201cWhat we need is to focus on discernment. Above all, it is a task for educators and technologists. We need to equip people with the skills they need to understand context, see patterns, question sources and attributions, and make correct judgments about how news and information are likely to have been distorted, manipulated or controlled. This is likely to be one of the key skills for the twenty-first century.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The workshop on \u2018Disinformation and Discernment<\/a>,\u2019 which will focus on both the nature of the problem and new ways of responding to it, will also be joined by Elvira Perez Vallejos<\/a> of the University of Nottingham. The organisers say that it \u201cwill launch a new dialogue about how technology assisted learning can contribute to the dissemination of new tools and skills for the information age.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information or to reserve a place at MidSummit, please visit http:\/\/www.oebmidsummit.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These days, it seems as though \u2018fake news\u2019 is everywhere. It is nothing new, though. In fact, it has been with us for a very long time \u2013 at least since the invention of printing and probably for much longer.   By Harold Elletson   One of history\u2019s greatest peddlars of fake news also happened […]<\/p>\n

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