Monthly Archives: April 2022

AUSTIN, Texas Misinformation on social media may seem like an intractable problem, but a new study from The University of Texas at Austin shows that asking a single question can be a powerful weapon against fake news.

Simply asking, How do I know this is true? and attempting to answer the question based on personal knowledge activates the brains critical thinking centers and challenges biases, according to the McCombs School of Business research.

Were all at risk of believing misinformation, said the studys lead author, Tricia Moravec, an assistant professor of information, risk and operations management. When we ask people these so-called self-referential questions, it helps them think more critically, not only about the headlines they see but also subsequent headlines.

The findings are forthcoming, online in advance, in Information Systems Research.

Moravec and her colleagues, Antino Kim and Alan R. Dennis of Indiana University and Randall K. Minas of the University of Hawaii, found that when people dont ask the question, they tend to accept articles that fit their beliefs.

In the study, the researchers asked participants to rate randomly assigned headlines on their truthfulness and believability. Using a mocked up social media page, with both left- and right-leaning headlines from a fabricated news source, researchers then asked participants to rate their personal knowledge of a given news story: How truthful is this story?

Participants selected from choices, including:

Study participants wore an EEG headset so researchers could measure neurophysiological changes as they evaluated the headlines, half of which were true and half false. Researchers found those who rated articles while questioning their own knowledge of the topic had increased activation in several parts of the brain associated with deliberate cognitive activity.

The question caused some participants to realize they had no firsthand way to evaluate the credibility of the news story. They thought more deeply about the news piece, versus automatically assuming articles that aligned with their beliefs are true. Moreover, the researchers found a lingering effect: participants continued to critically analyze content even when they werent prompted to do so by asking a self-referential question.

For social media companies, the researchers said adding a question about the readers knowledge of an articles truthfulness could help curb the spread of misinformation and encourage a more critical evaluation of content. Yet, they note that people tend to turn to social media for entertainment, connecting with friends, or escapism, and asking them a self-referential question that requires cognitive effort might not be enjoyable. Social media companies are unlikely to pursue anything that could annoy users and cut into their profits, she said.

Read the McCombs Big Ideas feature story to learn more.

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Brain Imaging Shows What Happens When We Question Fake News - UT News - University of Texas

Fake news is a phrase that is often bandied about, but how about fake journalist? Veteran comic Ben Palmer could add that position to his resume.

I call companies pretending to be a journalist, Palmer said. I email CEOs and send them fake quotes. I tell them Im working on a story. They expect a real article that will be published somewhere.

Palmer, 35, who will perform Tuesday at the Spokane Comedy Club, trolls executives Facebook pages. Palmer also pretends to be a city government official making up fake cases. The witty humorist puts together all that he culls to create a presentation, which is the majority of his stand-up.

My show is multimedia, Palmer said while calling from his Denver home. I project it on a screen and present it response by response. I have no idea how I started this.

The Cleveland native, who has been a comic since 2008, has been delivering this type of show for seven years.

I have a blast doing this, and its different than what anyone else is doing, Palmer said

Palmer also works the crowd and enjoys the extemporaneous side of his work. I love that you never know what will happen when you just talk with an audience, Palmer said. I just talk about things, and everybody gets loose.

Palmer will be making his Spokane debut, but he promises that he wont botch the pronunciation of the Lilac City.

When I was in Seattle performing a few years ago, I said Spokane (Spo-kane), and everybody laughed, Palmer said. But they didnt laugh in a good way. It was like, Havent you ever been to Washington?

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Ben Palmer takes fake news to another level - The Spokesman Review

Lets see how misinformation experts have demonstrated how effectively use GPT-3 to misinform.

GPT-3 means Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3, is a language model that leverages deep learning to generate human-like text. Not only can it produce text, but it can also generate code, stories, poems, etc. And it is an auto-complete bot whose underlying Machine Learning model has been trained on vast quantities of text available on the Internet.

It is way better than any algorithm language program in existence and it makes huge pre-trained language models that will become an integral part of AI applications in the near future. The ability of GPT-3 to generate several paragraphs of synthetic content that people find difficult to distinguish from the human-written text in section 3.9.4 represents a concerning milestone.

OpenAIs text-producing framework GPT-3 has captured a lot of mainstream attention. OpenAI isnt the main association to have strong language models, the computing power and data used by OpenAI to model GPT-n.

AI algorithm capable of generating coherent text is GPT-3. Its makers cautioned that the device might actually be employed as a weapon of online misinformation.

Experts from Georgetown research team on misinformation have demonstrated how effectively GPT-3, could be used to mislead and misinform. The result is, that it could intensify a few types of trickiness that would be particularly challenging to detect.

The team used GPT-3 to generate misinformation, including stories around a false narrative, news articles altered to push a bogus perspective, and tweets riffing on particular points of misinformation.

The dataset on which GPT-3 was trained, got terminated in October 2019. So GPT-3 doesnt know anything about the dataset after that. It can be the weapon of choice for actors who want to promote fake tweets to manipulate the price of crypto.

The team says GPT-3 or AI language algorithm, could prove especially effective for automatically generating short messages on social media, what the researchers call one-to-many misinformation. Making GPT-3 behave would be a challenge for agents of misinformation.

The team showed example tweets written by GPT-3 about the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and US sanctions on China. In the two cases, they observed that members were influenced by the messages. Subsequent to seeing posts contradicting China sanctions, for example, the level of respondents who said they were against such a strategy multiplied.

In another political situation, GPT-3 had the option to totally change a few people groups perspectives, with the assertions making respondents 54% bound to concur with the position subsequent to being shown one-sided AI-generated text.

AI researchers have built programs capable of using language in surprising ways of late, and GPT-3 maybe is the most alarming show of all. The scientists at OpenAI made GPT-3 by taking care of a lot of text scratched from web sources to a particularly enormous AI calculation intended to deal with language.

The Georgetown work features a significant issue that the organization desires to moderate. Whats more, they effectively work to address dangers related to GPT-3.

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GPT-3 could Eat Up Humans in Spreading Misinformation and Fake News - Analytics Insight

Conspiracy theories and fake news the disinformation kids read online, impacts children, as well as adults, and new research shows young people are more exposed and vulnerable than ever.Report by Dr Nerelie Freeman.

Globally, it is estimated that one child in three is an internet user, and it wont surprise any parent to know that mobile phones are the most popular go-to device.

More children are spending more time online than ever and the age at which children start using the internet is far younger, and yet our kids are highly susceptible to the impact of fake news.

Only 2 per cent of children aged up to 15 years have the critical thinking required to consistently distinguish fact from fiction online.

Online disinformation refers to sharing false information on websites, social media and social networking sites, including Instagram and TikTok.

Disinformation is often used to promote a particular political or moral cause. It can include conspiracy theories, fake news and other content intended to cause harm.

In the time of COVID-19, children are particularly vulnerable to exposure to disinformation and have been targeted with fake news, especially about vaccinations.

What do children do with fake news and disinformation? And what can we do to help them identify it?

A UNICEF survey of 14,733 children aged 917 across ten countries found that up to 75% (three-quarters) of children were unable to judge whether the information they read online was true. This was especially true for the youngest age group in the survey, aged 911.

Children also say they find it harder to tell between real and fake news on social media compared to other mediums. This makes social media sites the most common platforms where kids are exposed to disinformation.

Some young people are known to share disinformation with their peers or friends without any thought for the consequences motivated by a sense of fun or the attention they receive from others.

Helping children understand fake news can help stop the impact of disinformation. So what can we do to help kids think critically about online content?

First and foremost we need to make our children aware of different types of disinformation.

In the classroom, teachers can use simple graphics to define different types of disinformation and ask students to rate them from least to most harmful.

This initiates a conversation around the different levels of intent in deceptive online content. Teachers can also explore reasons with students about why this content is being created. For example, is it to make fun of others or to recruit other people to a cause?

Linking disinformation with familiar concepts also helps our kids to better identify whats fake and whats real, for example, one kind of disinformation is imposter content. Lots of primary and secondary school students are familiar with the popular online gameAmong Us: the aim being to identify the imposter. Using imagery of the imposter character from the game in conversations can help extend what children know about imposters in the game to imposter content online.Parents and teachers should also know the platforms kids use. Some teachers have limited knowledge or engagement with online platforms, especially Tik Tok or Instagram, likewise for parents. Its hard to keep up with kids these days and especially the ever-changing platforms they use, but its important to be aware.

Increasing your own knowledge of these platforms will make you more confident to have these conversations with your students;esafetyis one organisation offering professional learning for teachers and great resources for parents too.

One of the key ways to help kids identify fake news is to encourage their critical thinking. Spend time searching online for topics that interest children. Talk with them about the source of the information and who is publishing it. Does the author appear legitimate? How can we tell if an information source is real and reputable? Do they think that the information is fact or opinion? Its also important to maintain childrens awareness of disinformation. Schools can hold an eventon disinformation (For example, during your schools annual Wellness Week or on Global Wellness Day, June 11th). This should be layered with communication to parents, via the school newsletter or classroom so parents are aware that this is being discussed at school and they can continue the conversation at home.

Studies tell us that fake news on social media spreads up to six times faster than true news, and fake news is 70% more likely to get retweeted than truth. Every day our children are exposed to an ocean of disinformation, so its vital that parents and teachers work together to help our kids wade through the waves.

Dr Nerelie Freeman is a Psychologist and researcher at the School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Monash University.

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Fake News! How To Help Kids Identify When Online Information Is Fake - Women Love Tech

Arlington, TX For those that follow the 2022 Houston Astros, you could be forgiven for thinking that things are not quite going to plan. It is early in the season (the calendar hasnt turned to May), but the defending AL champions find themselves stumbling. Coming into the second game of the Rangers series, the team stood at 7-9. That in and of it itself could be off-putting for fans used to seeing Houston dominate. Yet, it is how the Astros are on the field in addition to their record that is unusual. They rank in the bottom half of the AL in just about any and all offensive categories, from hitting to runs scored towell, it might be useful to say what they arent bottom feeders in (home runs: 3rd in the AL). Their pitching has seen some moments (welcome back Justin Verlander), but overall, they dont rate much higher than fair to middling. Their run differential is in negative numbers and they currently sit 4th in the division.

When asked about this, most Astros players had this to say:

Others didnt bother trying to answer the questions, as they either hung up, called security, or tried to bash our reporters in with baseball bats, old gloves and a couple of extra trash cans.

We did get a chance to talk with a few Astros staffers, who indicated the usual cliches in April:

Eventually, after extensive persistence, the promise of significant financial compensation, and the promise to buy a metric ****ton of Dusty Bakers latest vineyard offerings, we did get to speak to a few leading Astros figures.

Yeah, we havent quite gotten off to the start that most expected. What do I care about April? Do you know how many World Series I won in April as a manager? None! You dont win the World Series in April!!! It is all about fall baseball! October! The Fall Classic! That is when you win! exclaimed a slightly annoyed Dusty Baker.

How many World Series have you won in October as a manager? our intrepid reporter asked.

Baker did not immediately answer. We hoped for a follow-up, but when he rounded on our people with a broken wine bottle with the sharper edges facing us and a maniacal look in his eyes, wwwweeee figured it was best to just move along.

We found the conversation with James Click a little more civil:

What you fail to see here is that we are looking at 2022 as the chance to learn from our past short-comings. In particular, our last two World Series ended in very, very disappointing fashion. So, like any other organization, we took stock of what happened, and is often the case, we looked at who bested us, and how they did it. Which means we would have to adjust our thinking and models to try to change our future performance.

In particular, you had to look at the actions of the 2019 Washington Nationals and the 2021 Atlanta Braves. Well, having done that, we think that we are already off to a good start.

How so? we inquired, especially as we were looking over the latest box scores. To which Click replied:

Well, as you may recall, both Washington and Atlanta got off to rather slow starts. At one point in 2019, Washington was 19-31. Coming into August last season, Atlanta was three games under .500. Based on our current projections, we are on pace to meet those marks.

Additionally, youll note that those teams had suffered the loss of major stars either the season prior or due to season-ending injury. For Washington, who honestly thought they were going to do anything when they let Bryce Harper walk? Did anyone think that Atlanta had a chance to be even decent when they lost Ronald Acuna Jr.? Well, look at us? We up and let Correa walk for nothing. While we havent lost anyone for the season yet, we figured that it would be best for McCullers to just go ahead and miss the 1st half of the season. Atlanta played over half a season with Acunas loss, so we are matching action for action.

Just to make sure, Dusty and I talked some over his latest Riesling, which is quite good, by the way. You still plan to buy those 6 cases, with me getting that 75% cutback, right? Anyway, we chatted in mid-November. So, I told him to just up and treat the first month or so like extended Spring Training. Give guys the random days off where they dont make a ton of sense. Also, I wanted him to put our-not-quite-best-foot-forward for pitching. So, we are getting Odorizzi and Baez on the mound as much as possible early on.

Admittedly, Dusty is getting a little nervous about completely following this plan. He is now gonna let Javier pitch like a starterbut we still have Odorizzi, so that will be ok. He is actually going with rookie relievers more. Told him we would be ok sticking with Baez, but after some wicked Merlot, Dusty convinced me otherwise. Even went ahead and told Altuve and Pressly to get their injuries out of the way now, early on in the season. Wanted to talk to Bregman about that, saying that he should also think about that, but I think he was a bit frustrated after the past season and the World Series. Didnt think it was wise to get in his way.

Admittedly, we werent sure about where this master plan would lead, but we only got Click to say Oh ye of little faith. Trust the process....oh, wait, thats someone elses line. Eh, you know what? Im the GM, youre not, and we will be just fine.

So, to sum up for the Astros plan for 2022:

Step 1: Have a losing record deep into the season

Step 2:

Step 3: Win the World Series

Step 4: Profit

Wait, what about step tw...

And that is all the time we have for this article. Good Night and Good Luck.

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Totally Not Fake News: All Going to Plan - The Crawfish Boxes

Beyond Meat Inc BYND shares are trading higher by 9.82% at $39.02 following a report from Fast Company indicating Beyond Meat-based McPlant burger will become a permanent menu item at McDonalds MCD. A subsequent Bloomberg report said McDonalds denied the implications of the report.

Beyond Meat shares were initially halted for volatility at 2:20 p.m. ET, up 20%. Shares resumed out of the halt higher by 27% before a second volatility halt took place at 2:36 p.m. ET.

Before the second volatility halt was lifted, the Benzinga newsdesk reported a Bloomberg update on the matter, with McDonalds saying the company has no new Plans with Beyond Meat to announce, McDonald's calling the Fast Company report "misconstrued."Shares fell to the $39.00-level upon resumption fromthe second volatility halt.

According to data from Benzinga Pro, Beyond Meat has a 52-week high of $160.28 and a 52-week low of $35.41.

See Also: Why Visa Shares Are Trading Higher Today

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Fake News About Fake Meat? Here's What's Going On With Beyond Meat Shares Today - Benzinga - Benzinga

Fake news has been around long before the arrival of the internet.

According to Data Ethics PH founder Dominic Vincent Ligot, sometimes it comes in the form of propaganda, which is being magnified these days with the help of social media.

On GMAs latest #eLeksyonSerye video, TikTok star Ychan Laurenz shares tips on how to detect and avoid disinformation and fake news online through his depiction of various relatable characters.

According to psychiatrist Dr. Joan Mae Rifareal, people are hardwired to believe ideas if these are the same as their beliefs. This phenomenon is called cognitive or confirmation bias.

To detect and avoid fake news, social media users should check their cognitive bias and do the following:

1. Read before you react. Dont get carried away by emotions.

2. Find out the source of the information. If its a news article, make sure it comes from a page that has a blue check mark, which means that it is a verified official page of the organization.

3. Dont automatically trust information and pass it along even if it comes from friends or family, says Ligot.

4. To check for the veracity of photos or if these were previously uploaded by other websites, these may be run through a webpage that conducts reverse image search.

But why are some people more exposed to fake news than others?

According to digital media researcher Fatima Gaw, social media users have historical data, which record all the activity done and content consumed, including pages liked and visited, videos watched, even ones friends on a platform.

All of that is in the records of the social media platforms and all of that adds into how the algorithm decides what kind of content is pushed to you, she said.

Ultimate goal of the algorithm is for you to stay as long as you can in the platform and hours and hours of consumption, she added.

Its also a way to make sure that whatever you see is something you like and you something you will engage with.

However, theres no law that directly addresses disinformation, or the intentional spreading of false information to deceive people.

Theres no law that address fake news or disinformation per se, said lawyer Ryan Jay Roset, policy consultant for disinformation for Lente.

What we have are laws tangentially addressing it. For example we have laws against libel, he said.

Hindi lahat ng nakikita online, totoo, reminded Ychan.

The younger generation is well-versed on social media and technology, but the older ones, who are used with traditional media, may fall prey to the thinking that everything published is factual information.

#eLeksyonSerye urges the youth to help their elders find the right information online and use social media and technology properly so they will not be victimized by fake news.

This may be a challenge, but Rifareal said it could be done through open communication. Open lines of communication is very important, said Rifareal. RC, GMA News

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Heres how to detect and avoid fake news, according to TikTok star Ychan Laurenz - GMA News Online

Doctors who criticise vaccines or lockdown policies on social media could face being struck off if regulators rule they are guilty of spreading fake news, in an update to the "Hippocratic Oath".

The core guidance for medics has been updated for the first time in almost a decade to cover media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The rules on use of social media include a duty to be honest and not to mislead, as well as to avoid abuse or bullying.

The draft regulations from the General Medical Council (GMC) - which the watchdog describes as a 21st-century version of the Hippocratic Oath - also say doctors must speak out if they encounter toxic workplace cultures that threaten patient safety.

And they say medics must take action if they encounter workplace bullying, harassment or discrimination.

The watchdog regulates doctors, who can face a range of sanctions - including being struck off the medical register - if they are found to have failed in their duties.

Charlie Massey, the chief executive of the GMC, said: Good medical practice is the bedrock that helps guide ethical practice and supports doctors to provide the best possible care in a world of increasingly complex medicine.

There is a lot of evidence of the damage bad workplace cultures can do to patient safety and, ultimately, to the UKs ability to retain the healthcare professionals it needs.

Toxic cultures can also spread online, undermining public trust in the medical profession.

Mr Massey said the fundamental principles of the guidance remained the same, but had been updated to reflect the modern world.

"Weve had feedback that doctors want more clarity on using social media. We are already clear that doctors must be honest and trustworthy in their communications, and are now emphasising that this applies to all forms of communication. The principles remain the same whether the communication is written, spoken or via social media, he said.

The use of social media by medics has become an increasingly vexed issue during the pandemic.

In December a judge ruled that the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, which runs hearings when doctors are under investigation, had made an "error of law" when it ordered a GP accused of spreading misinformation to stop discussing Covid on social media.

Dr Samuel White, who was a partner at a practice in Hampshire, raised concerns about vaccines and claimed "masks do nothing" in a video posted last June.

Restrictions were imposed on Dr Whites registration while the GMC investigated.

He had claimed "lies" around the NHS and government approach to the pandemic were "so vast" that he could no longer "stomach or tolerate" them.

In August, the tribunal concluded Dr White's way of sharing his views "may have a real impact on patient safety".

It found Dr White allegedly shared information to a "wide and possibly uninformed audience" and did not give an opportunity for "a holistic consideration of Covid-19, its implications and possible treatments".

But the GP's barrister, Francis Hoar, argued the restrictions imposed on his client's registration were a "severe imposition" on his freedom of expression.

The draft guidance says doctors can be held accountable for promoting misleading information or stepping outside areas of their expertise.

They are told to be honest and trustworthy make clear the limits of your knowledge.. [and to] make reasonable checks to make sure any information you give is not misleading.

This applies to all forms of written, spoken and digital communication, the draft guidance states.

And doctors are warned that online rows and trolling could jeopardise their professional futures.

You must not abuse, discriminate against, bully, exploit, or harass anyone, or condone such behaviour by others. This applies to all interactions, including on social media and networking sites, the draft rules state.

For the first time, the guidance for medics sets out a specific duty to act, or support others to act, if they become aware of workplace bullying, harassment or discrimination, as well as zero tolerance of sexual harassment.

The medical profession has faced a series of scandals, with female doctors in 2019 accusing senior members of the British Medical Association of sending unsolicited naked pictures and joking about womens bra sizes, amid a culture of institutional sexism.

Prof Neil Mortensen, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: We were appalled by the recent testimonies of sexual harassment and abuse that some surgeons shared on social media.

We are therefore pleased to see that there is specific guidance around preventing bullying and sexual harassment in the GMCs draft document."

Dr Caroline Fryar, the director of medical services at the Medical Defence Union, said the organisation would scrutinise the proposals carefully.

She said: Doctors across the UK are working harder than ever in a system that is constantly being tried and tested.

"Regulations, sets of rules and guidance documents must be compatible with the realities of doctors daily working lives, and support them to get on with the job of safely caring for patients.

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Doctors could be struck off for spreading fake news on vaccines and lockdowns - The Telegraph