In “How Data and Information Literacy Could End Fake News,” Kalev Leetaru argues that “at its core, the rise of ‘fake news’ is first and foremost a sign that we have failed as a society to teach our citizens how to think critically about data and information.” In the current moment, fact checking is simultaneously more complex and more pressing than it has ever been before. This is a multi-step assignment that asks you to investigate this issue further in order to consider solutions to the problems Leetaru addresses.
Step 1:
View the Fake News on Social Media topic cluster in the Gale Opposing Viewpoints Database, and identify a source from the “Viewpoints” or “Featured Viewpoints” lists that interests you and that addresses problems related to social media, misinformation and disinformation. Note: You will notice that Gale sometimes renames sources for inclusion in their database, particularly for Viewpoint essays. Be sure to locate the original publication information so that you know where and when your source was originally published.
Step 2:
Read your selected article and identify their argument and its implications for information literacy: what are this source’s greatest concerns, and how do they relate to Leetaru’s concerns? What does this author see as the most pressing problem or risk associated with information literacy and/or “fake news”, and what solutions do they offer?
Step 3:
Write an essay in which you argue for the most pressing thing we need to do as a society to address a lack of information literacy, using Leetaru’s article and your selected source for support.
Your thesis statement will make an argument about what the problem is and what you think we should do about it. In the body of your essay, you will develop your argument with supporting claims and evidence from the assigned reading and your outside source.
Note: this doesn’t mean you have to fully agree with either of your sources; in fact, you will have more luck in creating your own nuanced argument if you find wiggle room or disagreement within a position you mostly agree with (or, alternatively, find wiggle room or agreement with a position you mostly oppose).
