GSAN: ‘De-influencing’ on social media | ‘Coconut tree’ explained

Note: There will be no issue of Get Smart About News next week, but we will return to your inbox on Aug. 13 for a special issue featuring RumorGuard® writer Dan Evon.

Top reads

A roundup of the latest topics in news literacy.

Misinformation

“A Volatile Election Is Intensifying Conspiracy Theories Online” (Steven Lee Myers, Stuart A. Thompson and Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times).
Analysis: “False rumors about Vance, Musk’s X show misinfo cuts both ways” (Will Oremus, The Washington Post).
“Opinion: Want to convince a conspiracy theory believer they're wrong? Don't start with the truth” (Jesselyn Cook, Los Angeles Times).
- Note: Possible paywall.

Artificial intelligence

“The AI-generated disinformation dystopia that wasn’t” (Sara Fischer and Megan Morrone, Axios).
“A parody ad shared by Elon Musk clones Kamala Harris’ voice, raising concerns about AI in politics” (Ali Swenson, The Associated Press).

Social media

“De-influencing effectively sways 69% of U.S. social media users” (Joe Berkowitz, Fast Company).
“Would you pay to be able to quit TikTok and Instagram? You’d be surprised how many would” (Peter Martin, Nieman Lab).
“TikTok Collected U.S. Users’ Views on Gun Control, Abortion and Religion, U.S. Says” (Georgia Wells and Sadie Gurman, The Wall Street Journal).

Journalism

“How Americans Get Local Political News” (Luxuan Wang, Michael Lipka, Katerina Eva Matsa, Christopher St. Aubin and Elisa Shearer, Pew Research Center).
Series: “California’s news industry is in steep decline. Here’s what is at stake” (Los Angeles Times).
- Note: This series is only available to subscribers of the Los Angeles Times.
“To a list of American journalists jailed in Russia, add Alsu Kurmasheva” (Manuel Roig-Franzia, The Washington Post).

Practice patience during breaking news events.

It takes time to verify information when news breaks, so initial news reports often won’t have the full story and may quote sources sharing information that still needs to be verified. Social media, on the other hand, usually reacts to big events with an overwhelming mix of speculation, opinion and misinformation. Slow down, beware of bad actors spreading falsehoods and be ready to follow a news story as it develops over time.

Share this NewsLit tip:

No, Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t say “Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow.” This viral video was manipulated. Check out more of the latest debunked rumors on NLP’s RumorGuard®!

Featured video

Confused about the viral “coconut tree” quote circulating of Vice President Kamala Harris? We’ve got you covered. To keep up with the busy news cycle, check out this explainer featuring some helpful tips in this NLP TikTok. (You can also view this video on Instagram.)

Alexa Volland, Senior Manager of Multimedia Content at the News Literacy Project, sits in a chair with her laptop surrounded by news headlines and small images of Vice President Kamala Harris in the background. A text bubble says, “Trying to keep up with the news about Kamala Harris running for president?”

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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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