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