GSAN: AI-generated Star Wars news | Avoid sharing misinfo

Top reads

A roundup of the latest topics in news literacy and misinformation.

“Gizmodo’s io9 Published an AI-Generated Star Wars Article That Was Filled With Errors” (Todd Spangler, Variety).
- Related: “How an AI-written Star Wars story created chaos at Gizmodo” (Pranshu Verma, The Washington Post).
“Authors file a lawsuit against OpenAI for unlawfully ‘ingesting’ their books” (Ella Creamer, The Guardian).
“A viral left-wing Twitter account may have been fake all along” (Drew Harwell, The Washington Post).
“How one California TV station is building trust and transparency with marginalized communities” (Amaris Castillo, Poynter).
“Judge’s order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions” (Kevin McGill, Matt O’Brien and Ali Swenson, The Associated Press).
“As Cambodia approaches a crucial election, journalists suffer shutdowns and abuse” (Laura Oliver, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism).
“How Meta, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube plan to address 2024 election misinformation” (Sevana Wenn, Poynter).
“US podcast misinformation goes largely unchecked” (Rob Lever, AFP).

Featured video

What's the best way to approach weird social media posts? Get quick tips to avoid sharing misinformation in this NLP TikTok video:

The cover image of a TikTok video is labeled “How to keep yourself from sharing misinfo” and features Alexa Volland, the News Literacy Project’s senior manager of educator professional learning, in front of a Google browser with her arms crossed and wearing sunglasses.

Misinformation is exploitative
Misinformation that backs up your political beliefs isn’t doing you any favors — it targets you, not those who disagree with you. Misinformation exploits your most deeply held beliefs and values to dupe you into amplifying information. Take a pause before sharing information and don’t let bad actors use your credibility with friends and family to spread their falsehoods.

Share this NewsLit tip:

Protests in France prompted a surge in misinformation. An “archival” photo of Bigfoot was actually an AI-generated image. Check out more of the latest debunked rumors on NLP’s RumorGuard!

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Your weekly issue of Get Smart About News is created by Susan Minichiello (@susanmini), Dan Evon (@danieljevon), Peter Adams (@PeterD_Adams), Hannah Covington (@HannahCov) and Pamela Brunskill (@PamelaBrunskill). It is edited by Mary Kane (@marykkane) and Lourdes Venard (@lourdesvenard).

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