Category Archives: Social Justice

Comics can teach readers how to identify fake news

Graphic narratives can be a great tool to teach media literacy. (Shutterstock)

Erin Steuter, Mount Allison University

At this point, most of us know the drill when it comes to COVID-19: proper hand hygiene, mask wearing and social distancing.

But does setting fire to cell towers make your list? Probably not. A conspiracy theory linking 5G mobile technology to the COVID-19 outbreak has ignited fears worldwide, prompting just this response from a few individuals in Québec, who set ablaze seven mobile towers.

Although such destructive responses are rare, thousands of digital consumers have absorbed aspects of this falsehood, pushing fringe beliefs into the mainstream despite refutations from the World Health Organization and multiple agencies in Canada and the United States. What started as a conspiracy turned into a real crisis for the people who immediately believed what they’d heard.

My research focuses on critical media studies and ideological representations in news and popular culture. I regularly offer workshops to schools and community groups that engage the public in contemporary media literacy issues. My book, Won’t Get Fooled Again: A Graphic Guide To Fake News, helps readers identify the underlying purpose of the messages they receive and learn how to do basic research before accepting the validity of what’s being presented to them.

Dealing with fake news

Fake news is an increasingly pressing problem. In fact, a 2019 poll found 90 per cent of Canadians reported falling for false information online.

As consumers, we need to learn how to filter content and become our own educators, editors and fact-checkers to ensure the information we act upon is trustworthy. In a constantly changing informational and political environment, it’s no wonder we often struggle to separate fact from fiction.

Research indicates people create misinformation for two primary reasons: money and ideology.

Articles, videos and other forms of content can generate large amounts of money for the websites that host these pieces. Most of their income comes from clicks on advertisements, so the more people who visit their sites, the better chances they have of boosting ad revenue. This feedback loop has led many publishers to lean on false information to drive traffic.

The threshold for making believable fake news has fallen as well. A conspiracy theorist, for example, can create a web page using a professional template with high-quality photos in just a few clicks. Once the content has been added, sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms requires even less effort.

These misinformation and fake-news campaigns amplify and circulate through false digital accounts using automated programs known as bots that use certain keywords to influence and impact conversations among like-minded clusters of people. The results can foment discord on hot-button Canadian policy issues — like immigration and refugees — possibly disrupting election outcomes.

A page with six comic book panels showing an exchange about news. — Focus groups with students informed the content for ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ a graphic narrative teaching media literacy.
(Alan Spinney), Author provided

Generating anxiety and undermining truth

Canadians are expressing anxiety about the social impact of fake news, with 70 per cent fearing it could affect the outcome of a federal election. The Pew Research Center warns that fake news may even influence the core functions of the democratic system and contribute to “truth decay.”

Dubious and inflammatory content can undermine the quality of public debate, promote misconceptions, foster greater hostility toward political opponents and corrode trust in government and journalism.

The effects of misinformation have been evident throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, with many citizens confused as to whether a mask will decrease the chances of spreading the infection. Similar tactics are being levelled against Black Lives Matter protesters, such as labelling them all as rioters when videos and photos show most behaving peacefully.

Conspiracy theories about the “Chinese virus,” amplified by politicians in Canada and the U.S., have fanned the flames of anti-Asian sentiments following the spread of COVID-19. Data from law enforcement and Chinese-Canadian groups has shown an increase in anti-Asian hate incidents in Canada since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who and how to trust

Aside from a few social media platforms that identify misleading content and provide a brief explanation, most information online or in print can appear factual. So how can we figure out which sources to trust?

As a sociologist who focuses on critical media studies, I formed focus groups and collected input from my students to create a resources to guide readers through identifying fake news. While regulation and legislation are part of the solution, experts agree we must take swift action to teach students how to seek verification before acting on fake news.

In my findings, students identified several reasons why media outlets post or re-publish fake news, including making mistakes, being short-staffed, not fact-checking and actively seeking greater viewership by posting fake news.

The students pointed to holistic media literacy and critical thinking training as the best responses. This finding runs counter to the tactics currently used by publishers and tech companies to label or “fact-check” disputed news.

One student summarized this mindset best: “As citizens and consumers, we have a responsibility to be critical. Don’t accept stories blindly. Hold those in power responsible for their actions!”

Getting multiple perspectives is a great way to expand our digest of viewpoints. Once we can see a story from more than one angle, separating truth from falsehood becomes much simpler.

At this point, I transitioned from recording perceptions of fake news to determining how to identify it. Providing students with information about the nature and agendas of fake news, in an immersive format, seemed to be a key step in engaging and cultivating their critical literacy capabilities. Information delivery was a key consideration.

Illustrating the narratives

Researchers have shown graphic narratives can accelerate cognition by focusing the reader’s attention on crucial information. Images clarify complex content, especially for visual learners. Comic books require readers to create meaning using multiple factors that helps develop a complex, multi-modal literacy.

A major goal of my book involves unpacking the motivations behind the news we consume. Consider why a particular person was interviewed: Who do they represent? What do they want us to believe? Is another point of view missing?

Won’t Get Fooled Again: A Graphic Guide to Fake News is the culmination of my research and the insights drawn from media literacy scholarship. This guide helps readers understand what fake news is, where it comes from, and how to check its accuracy.

If there’s one habit my students and I hope everyone will develop, it’s this: pause before sharing news on social media. Double-check anything that immediately sparks anger or frustration and, remember, fake news creators want a reaction, not thoughtful reflection.

Erin Steuter, Professor of Sociology, Mount Allison University

I set up a forum topic for this article and share my best tips at identifying fake news. You’re welcome to share yours as well.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Indigenous Women to Financial CEOs: Stop Abetting ‘Climate-Wrecking’ Tar Sands Sector or Expect More Resistance

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“Join us putting the proverbial nail in the coffin of these dying unneeded industries.”

by Andrea Germanos, staff writer

A group of Indigenous women and their allies on Monday urged the heads of major global financial institutions to stop propping up the tar sands industry and sever all ties with the sector’s “climate-wrecking pipelines, as well as the massively destructive extraction projects that feed them.”

The demand to the CEOs comes in an open letter (pdf) signed by over 40 Indigenous leaders including Rebecca Adamson, Cherokee and founder of First Nations and First Peoples Worldwide; Tara Houska, Couchiching First Nation and founder of the Giniw Collective; and Winona LaDuke, White Earth Nation and executive director of Honor the Earth.

Supporting the call is a diverse group of over 150 organizations such as Another Gulf Is Possible Collaborative, Global Exchange, and Indigenous Environmental Network.

“It’s time to move on. The most destructive and expensive oil in the world needs to stay in the ground,” LaDuke said in a statement.

Beyond the tar sands sector’s “grave threats to Indigenous rights, cultural survival, local waterways and environments, the global climate, and public health,” the open letter says continued financing and insuring of tar sands projects just makes bad economic sense, noting that “no subsector has had a worse financial prognosis than tar sands oil.”

⚡ BREAKING ⚡ Indigenous women leaders sent an open letter to 70 major financial institutions calling on them to respect Indigenous rights & stop financial support to the #TarSands industry.https://t.co/prMdUrsYj5 pic.twitter.com/xHdhFqBQ3K

— WECAN, International (@WECAN_INTL) October 19, 2020

“The current economic crisis has sent oil and gas prices, and particularly tar sands oil, plunging,” the letter notes.

“Tar sands is one of the most carbon-intensive, expensive extraction processes in the industry, and these pipelines are likely to be stranded assets soon after they are built,” the women wrote, referring to a scenario in which fossil fuels will have to stay in the ground.

The letter zeroes in on three specific pipelines as pivotal to future tar sands extraction—TC Energy’s Keystone XL pipeline, Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline, and the Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline—each of which has faced sustained opposition. The economic impact of such opposition can’t be denied, with the letter pointing to the “$25 billion in mining assets lost due to operations being tied up or shut down by community protests” in 2018.

What’s more, the Indigenous leaders wrote, the “risk portfolio for extractive and land-based companies show[s] that 73% of company risk and delays are non-technical. Non-technical means community protests and boycotts that result in operational delays or shutdowns.”

Should the CEOs fail to heed the demands laid out in the letter, further delays ought to be expected. “We will continue to resist the remaining proposed projects and hold the financial backers of these companies accountable,” the letter states.

While the ecological harm of tar sands extraction and infrastructure has been repeatedly noted by fossil fuel critics, the letter points to new threats brought by the coronavirus crisis. The signatories point to the mulitple work sites in Alberta that have seen outbreaks of Covid-19 as extremely bad news for Indigenous communities who “are uniquely vulnerable to the virus’s spread due to historically underfunded healthcare programs and significant health disparities.”

In addition, an influx of project workers and so-called “man camps” bring particularly acute harm to Indigenous women:

Indigenous women in these rural areas are in peril. There is growing evidence that the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) is directly linked to fossil fuel production. Workers relocate to construction sites to build pipelines, creating temporary housing communities known as “man camps” near the pipeline route, which is oftentimes on or next to tribal nation lands. Studies, reports, and Congressional hearings have found that man camps lead to increased rates of sexual violence and sexual trafficking.

“We need a just transition to renewable, sustainable energy, not expansion of fossil fuel extraction,” the signatories declare. “We demand respect for our rights and sovereignty as Indigenous Peoples so that we can control our own lands, futures, and job opportunities.”

The letter lays out a way forward for the financial institutions.

“Rather than exploit the tar sands sector for its last drops of profit in the face of climate crisis and disregard the health and safety of communities along pipeline routes, your company can accelerate a just transition for Indigenous nations, communities, and workers that depend on the industry for their livelihoods by publicly ruling out involvement in these tar sands projects and redirecting your insurance underwriting to communities and renewable, clean energy,” the women wrote.

According to Joye Braun, Cheyenne River Sioux, organizer with Indigenous Environmental Network, the tar sands industry has been “nothing more than evil incarnate.”

“We must put a stop to them,” said Braun. “We must stand and say enough is enough. Join us in saving our future. Join us putting the proverbial nail in the coffin of these dying, unneeded industries.”

Related: The Slow Painful Death of Fossil Fuels

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.

Mi’kmaq Warrior Peacekeepers Called to Nova Scotia

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Mi’kmaq Warrior Peacekeepers have been called to Nova Scotia to help settle a dispute over their rights. Under the law they are allowed to hunt and fish throughout the year. They aren’t required to observe fishing or hunting seasons like the colonists are. This is upsetting to a lot of people, who for some reason don’t have the ability to understand the law.

A fire destroyed a lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico, N.S., early Saturday morning. The police are calling the fire suspicious. Mi’kmaw fishermen were storing their catch there. Due to the escalating violence towards them it isn’t so hard to guess who the culprits might be.

Indigenous people and the RCMP fall under federal jurisdiction. Nova Scotia Premier Steven McNeil said he didn’t understand why the federal government wasn’t doing more about this issue. It’s debatable whether McNeil’s hands are tied or not. In Alberta, the United Conservative government passed Bill 10, the Public Health Emergency Powers Amendment Act. That means any cabinet minister can make legislative changes without the approval of the legislature. A similar bill, passed quickly in Nova Scotia, and the premier wouldn’t have to blame federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan for bungling the situation by not establishing a definition of moderate livelihood fishery.

Sipekne’katik First Nation chief Michael Sack made this statement:

“Today we are announcing that Sipekne’katik intends to seek civil remedies against individuals and entities that have infringed against our constitutionally protected rights and who are attempting to prevent and frustrate the legal exercise of our rights – all for what the country and First Nations have watched play out in disbelief.

“The wilful inaction by our law enforcement in the face of criminal actions against our people, and any person is unacceptable. We need to ask, do we find ourselves in a place where we need to protect ourselves? We need to know how can property be damaged, families be threatened, a community’s livelihood be sabotaged in front of us – in front of the world –and the institution that is charged with protecting all people – in their own words simply ‘observing and monitoring’ it all happening?”

The police may not be able to negotiate with the Sipekne’katik, now that the Warriors have been called in. If they feel the police are acting in “bad faith” they may decide to communicate with the Canadian Military instead. In New Brunswick in 2013 First Nations demanded the military as they felt the police had become an “objective.” If they feel the RCMP only represent the interests of the Colonists, they will be dismissed.

For a recap of how this could happen, see Miles Howe’s article in the Rabble.

Taiaiake Alfred, Ph.D., and Lana Lowe, M.A., wrote a paper for the government of Ontario, which aims to “provide factual information on the development and current reality of warrior societies in indigenous communities.” They are a means by which indigenous peoples take direct action against colonization and the history of their dispossession. These tend to be peaceful negotiations unless otherwise provoked. It’s safe to say that no one wants to see anymore violent conflicts. Especially so when one considers firearms could be present.

The abuse of First Nations people and the destruction of their communities is nothing new in Canada. Is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the man for the job? His father wanted to abolish reserves and turn them into private property. He produced a white paper on the topic but it was later scrapped. It’s possible Trudeau would benefit by calling in Charlie Angus of the NDP. He has worked extensively on community development projects with Canada’s First Nations, working as a negotiator and consultant for the Algonquin Nation of Quebec. He also played a prominent role in calling national attention to the Kashechewan crisis of 2005. Angus has more experience working on indigenous matters and could offer some valuable insight if consulted.

With the Warriors here, this could turn into a national incident if it isn’t handled properly. First Nation’s rights are being exploited by the colonists who won’t honour their own laws or the treaties which spell out indigenous rights. Hopefully both sides will be able to negotiate in good faith.

See Brent Patterson’s wonderful article on the Peace Brigades International website. He has links there on how you can support the Mi’kmaq and their treaty rights and a letter template to email the relevant government officials.

More information here

There’s a few entries on the forum if you would like to read a little but more about what is going on with this issue in Nova Scotia. There’s a comment on this article I posted as well. Just scroll down to see it.

Stop The Hate — Platform Liability

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How the New Brunswick government’s repeated refusal to fund Clinic 554 violates human rights

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Dealing with fake news

Generating anxiety and undermining truth

Who and how to trust

Illustrating the narratives

More information here

Sobering Facts

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