Session 1: Today we will begin by discussing the use of visual aids in presentations. I’ll start by showing you the slides from my most recent presentation and explaining how I put them together. Afterward there will be time to get some feedback and ask questions about your Web-based Informational Campaigns.

Session 2: Today we will discuss the requirements and reading for the Public Communication Response writing assignment. This projects will get you involved in civic engagement in the “post-truth era.” One thing that is very important is that we know the difference between reliable news sources, satire, and fake-news.

Public Communication Response
Due: Session 2, Week 12 (20 points)

Description: Write a 400-500 word paper as a response to the reading, Read All About It: The Politicization of “Fake News” on Twitter. This will be an example of Civic Engagement in the Post-truth Era. Your paper will describe an example from the news that you believe illustrates how a story that is false, maybe obviously false, has had implications for our political system. Use concepts from the study to discuss this story and its fallout. Be sure to cite your source for your news item and the reading.

Reading: Brummette, J., Distaso, M., Vafeiadis, M., & Messner, M. (2018). Read All About It: The Politicization of “Fake News” on Twitter. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 95(2), 497-517. Available under the Files section on Canvas.

Prompt: This academic study provides a thorough discussion of the phenomenon of “fake news” and investigates how social media is involved in creating and propagating fake news.  Here is the abstract from the article:

Due to the importance of word choice in political discourse, this study explored the use of the term “fake news.” Using a social network analysis, content analysis, and cluster analysis, political characteristics of online networks that formed around discussions of “fake news” were examined. This study found that “fake news” is a politicized term where conversations overshadowed logical and important discussions of the term. Findings also revealed that social media users from opposing political parties communicate in homophilous environments and use “fake news” to disparage the opposition and condemn real information disseminated by the opposition party members.

Homophilous is defined as the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others, as in the proverb “birds of a feather flock together.” It’s a key term in understanding how fake news takes on life despite countervailing information.

1. Read the first six pages down to the heading “Method,” then skip down to the heading “Discussion” on page 509 and read on from there.
2. In your response paper of 400-500 words:
   • Describe an example from the news that you believe illustrates how a story that is false, maybe obviously false, has had implications for our political system. Use concepts from the study to discuss this story and its fallout. Be sure to cite your source for your news item.
   • Discuss the role of social media  in the “market place of ideas.” DO NOT simply state your opinion. Find an example of how social media has played a part in helping to form public opinion and even affect the actions of the state. Be sure to cite your source or sources.

Formatting your work: Put your name, the class (COJO 111) and section, and the date in the upper left corner of your first page. Double-space your work. Follow MLA style in citing your sources.

Grading criteria:

1. Engagement with the text: How thoroughly and effectively are the concepts from the reading used as tools of analysis?
2. Quality of research: Only one or two sources are necessary for this assignment. Is that source reliable? Does it provide an adequate depth of knowledge?
3. Accuracy: Remember that accuracy is all-important. Double check your facts, use your spell checker and do your best with grammar and punctuation.

Key terms

cluster analysis
content analysis
fake news
homophily
marketplace of ideas
pluralism
post-truth
social network analysis
truthiness (coined by Stephen Colbert)