Instruction librarians Emily Carlin and Darcy Gervasio of SUNY Purchase College discuss combating fake news and promoting media literacy in the “post-truth” era. They share their experiences teaching an information literacy program titled “Don’t Take the Clickbait: Practical Ways to Recognize and Fight Fake News.” Learn about using hands-on activities to promote critical thinking about news sources, and different strategies to help and encourage library patrons to fight the spread of fake news and misinformation.

1. “Don’t take
the clickbait”
Darcy I. Gervasio & Emily Carlin
Purchase College Library, SUNY
How to lead a “fake news” teach-in
Webinar August 16, 2017

2. Hello!Darcy Gervasio - Reference Coordinator
darcy.gervasio@purchase.edu
Emily Carlin - Outreach Librarian
emily.g.carlin@gmail.com

3. At the end of this webinar, you will have the tools to:
 Use hands-on activities to promote critical thinking
about news sources
 Help and encourage library patrons to fight the spread of
fake news and misinformation
 View fake news programming through the lens of the
ACRL Framework for Information Literacy

4. The guides are everywhere!
★ IFLA has a handout in multiple
languages
★ Fordham University Library LibGuide
focuses on “reputable sources” too
★ Albuquerque Public Library Guide to
Fake News
★ “Breaking News Consumer
Handbook” from WNYC

5. Advertising idea! Circulate a “fake”
campus or library newsletter

6. What is a teach-in?
 “A prolonged public debate about a subject of topical interest conducted by
persons having a special knowledge of the subject”
(The Macquarie Dictionary).
 “An extended session, as on a college or university campus, for lectures and
discussions on an important, usually controversial issue”
(American Heritage Dictionary)
 “An informal conference, esp. on a topical subject, usually held at a university
or college and involving a panel of visiting speakers, lecturers, students, etc.”
(Collins English Dictionary)

7. Examples include: satire, memes, &
sensationalized news (aka “clickbait”)

9.  tineye
 images.google.com
 findexif
 imageedited
 fotoforensics

13. ➔ Use Ad Blockers & private windows
when investigating claims
➔ Disable ad blockers on legit news
WEBsites

14. Place your screenshot
here
FACT-CHECK APPS
This is Fake (Chrome Extension)
https://www.thisisfake.org/
Check This by MetaCert (Chrome)
https://goo.gl/1YSqN8
B.S. Detector (Chrome & Firefox)
http://bsdetector.tech/

17.  Comparing the group’s
chart to the original
sparks conversation
about bias, consensus,
authority
 Breaks students away
from binary thinking
 Chart makes a great at-
a-glance assessment

18. Important Take-Aways About the “Post-Truth” Era:
 Fake news exists on a continuum.
 Bias doesn’t always mean
untrustworthy/unfactual.
 Self-awareness can help you resist
confirmation bias.
 Take action! You are not helpless consumers.
 The truth is knowable… even if it’s complex.

19. Fake news & the ACRL Framework
Authority Is Constructed & Contextual What sources are trustworthy? How can you tell?
Information Creation as a Process Journalism has professional practices, ethics, and standards.
Information Has Value What are the financial incentives to create clickbait?
Research as Inquiry Question your biases: investigate & verify news in your feed
Scholarship as Conversation Seek out news across the political spectrum; track down the
original source of quotes, statistics, etc
Searching as Strategic Exploration Use various tools to determine the truth of what you read

20. Tips for hosting A teach-in!
 You’re already an expert
 It can happen any time;
doesn’t require “new”
resources
 Partner with faculty in
history, poli sci, media
studies, journalism, etc.
 Join larger campus events,
lecture series, forums, etc.

21.  Keep examples current
 Draw examples from across
the political spectrum
 Focus on dialog & hands-on
activities
 Discuss the emotional, not just
rational, side of fake news
 Present solutions, not
problems! Give participants
tools to fight misinformation.

22. Help yourself to our resources!
On Google Drive: https://tinyurl.com/ybruurnb
ACRL Framework Sandbox: http://sandbox.acrl.org/
Contact us:
Darcy.Gervasio@purchase.edu
Emily.G.Carlin@gmail.com

23. Special thanks to the people who helped us and
released these awesome resources for free:
 Virginia Breen and Donna Cornachio, Journalism professors at
Purchase College
 Vanessa Otero, creator of the Media Bias chart
 METRO New York Library Council, for hosting a 3-hour fake news
workshop for librarians
 Jocelyn Swick-Jemison, Reference Librarian at Daemon College
 Presentation template by SlidesCarnival

24. Join our next two Credo in Action Webinars!
Pre-search to research: Credo as 'Academic Google'
August 23rd @ 2PM ET
10 Creative Activities to Support Student Engagement Using
Credo
August 30th @ 2PM ET
credo.link/action