10 | MAY 16 • 2024
better job at reading between
the bias algorithm lines,” Bean
says. “Haste makes waste.
Even in our personal lives,
we should take time to ana-
lyze information before we
repeat it. Who created it, what
was their purpose, were they
motivated by profit or special
interest?”
FAKE NEWS
“Fake news” is a phrase used
frequently by those who want
to foster mistrust of the media.
However, the term took on
a literal meaning earlier this
year in the form of several
fictional online newspapers.
While the sites had authen-
tic-looking mastheads with
names closely resembling real
publications — bogus names
like “D.C. Weekly,” “New
York News Daily,” “Chicago
Chronicle” and “Miami
Chronicle” — they were com-
plete fabrications filled with
disinformation about a variety
of topics.
According to the New York
Times, researchers at Clemson
University’s Media Forensics
Hub discovered these websites,
which included articles lifted
from genuine news outlets,
originated in Russia as part of
an ongoing campaign to influ-
ence American voters.
The authentic-looking sites,
designed with cutting-edge
AI technology, interspersed
fictional content with articles
lifted from genuine news out-
lets to enhance believability.
The “D.C. Weekly” featured a
list of fake “journalists” with
made-up names and photos
of actual people who had no
affiliation with the site.
EFFECT ON MENTAL
HEALTH
Bean realized the need for
a practical guide to vetting
information after observing
the conflicting messages and
dangerous conspiracy theo-
ries that emerged during the
COVID-19 pandemic and
continued through the 2020
election and its aftermath.
As a strong advocate for
mental health, especially con-
cerning young people, Bean
believes sharing false infor-
mation can cause depression,
anxiety and paranoia by tar-
nishing credibility and creat-
ing animosity and divisiveness
between friends and family
members.
“People have done things in
the name of false causes that
have harmed them mentally
and physically,” he said.
The Lanis family of Walled
Lake became a casualty of dis-
information when Igor Lanis
killed his wife, Tina, and seri-
ously injured their daughter,
Rachel, as they attempted to
leave the house after an argu-
ment. Igor was subsequent-
ly killed by police officers
outside after he opened fire.
The Lanis’ younger daughter,
Rebecca, who was not home
when the shooting occurred,
said her father had become
consumed by conspiracy the-
ories about the “deep state”
and a worldwide cabal of
pedophiles plotting to harm
conservatives.
“The internet ruined him,”
Rebecca wrote in a social
media post on the day of the
shooting.
Another negative conse-
quence of misinformation is a
psychological state called cog-
nitive dissonance, the discom-
fort that occurs when some-
one behaves in a way that
conflicts with their values or
beliefs or receives information
with an opposing viewpoint.
To prevent the resultant stress
and anxiety, people may avoid
certain news outlets or sourc-
es with differing opinions.
According to Bean, sharing
suspicious information with-
out verifying it first may also
cause cognitive dissonance.
DISINFORMATION
AND ANTISEMITISM
Disinformation has played
a longstanding role in
the spread of antisemi-
tism, according to Carolyn
Normandin, regional director
of ADL (Anti-Defamation
League)
Michigan.
“Myths and
tropes about Jews
have been around
for thousands of
years,” she said,
Sources for
Evaluating
Media
AllSides
Compares how one story
is covered by three news
outlets with different
perspectives: left, center
and right.
www.allsides.com/
unbiased-balanced-news
Harvard University study
of media bias
A detailed evaluation
of news sources based
on political leanings,
including individual shows
within news channels.
https://guides.library.
harvard.edu/newsleans/
thechart
Common Sense Media
Resources for adults,
educators, children
and families, including
a Digital Citizenship
curriculum.
https://www.
commonsensemedia.org/
FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
BrainPOP
Animated educational
websites
www.brainpop.com
Epic!
Books and videos for
children 12 and under
www.getepic.com
“Be Internet Awesome”
by Google
Internet safety for
children
https://beinternetawe-
some.withgoogle.com/
en_us/
“THOSE WHO CAN CONVINCE OTHERS OF
ABSURDITIES CAN ALSO CONVINCE THEM
TO COMMIT ATROCITIES.”
VOLTAIRE, 18TH CENTURY FRENCH PHILOSOPHER
continued from page 9
continued on page 12
OUR COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
Carolyn
Normandin