LibGuides: Current Events &amp; Critical Thinking: Critical Thinking

Introduction

When we google a topic, what we find does not always reflect reality. We live in a Filter Bubble- our internet activity influences the results we get. This is called a filter-bubble. These sources will help you understand the filter bubble.

Filter Bubbles

Confirmation Bias

At times, our own point of view get in the way of finding accurate information. This is called "confirmation bias."

Video Guides

Given filter bubbles and confirmation bias, what can we do? The answer is thinking critically about where we get our news and what we read.

This video from TED-Ed talks about how to choose your news sources, thinking critically about them.

This video will give you resources for thinking critically about what you read:

This video will help you evaluate whether to use websites or not when you read.

Web Resources

"Fake News," Lies and Propaganda: How to Sort Fact from Fiction
“Fake news” is a term that has come to mean different things to different people. At its core, we are defining “fake news” as those news stories that are false: the story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes. Sometimes these stories may be propaganda that is intentionally designed to mislead the reader, or may be designed as “clickbait” written for economic incentives (the writer profits on the number of people who click on the story). In recent years, fake news stories have proliferated via social media, in part because they are so easily and quickly shared online.
Evaluating News Resources
General Guidelines for evaluating news sources, identifying misinformation, disinformation and avoiding propaganda
How to Spot Fake News
Fake news is nothing new. But bogus stories can reach more people more quickly via social media than what good old-fashioned viral emails could accomplish in years past.
Recognizing Fake News
Fake news does not mean it is news you disagree with.