Crash Course: Navigating Digital Information

Introduction

• Host: John Green
• Episode of Crash Course by Complexly, a company owned by John and his brother.
• Funded partly by Patreon, advertisers, and grants.
• MediaWise (created with Google's support) collaborated on the video. It's a project by the Poynter Institute and the Stanford History Education Group.

Importance of Source Verification

• Understanding the origin of information is crucial for gauging reliability.
• All information is produced by someone with a purpose (e.g., newspapers to inform, ads to sell).
• The lines between motives (informative vs. persuasive) can blur.

Challenges in Identifying Information Sources

• Online anonymity makes it difficult to determine the true source.
• Example: "Stop City Funded Internet" campaign by Fidelity Communications disguised as a grassroots movement.

Vertical vs. Lateral Reading

• Vertical Reading: Reading top to bottom on a webpage, which can be misleading as it shows only what creators want you to see.
• Lateral Reading: Opening new tabs to find more information about a source.
  • Example: American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its conflicts of interest not disclosed in articles.

Strategies for Lateral Reading

• Use newspapers and digital media for broader context.
• Be aware of potential biases in news organizations.
• Utilize fact-checking websites like Snopes and PolitiFact.
• Recognize these resources are tools, not absolute arbiters of truth.

The Media Landscape

• Media is not a monolith; diverse viewpoints exist.
• Reading laterally helps account for differing perspectives.

Wikipedia as a Resource

• Often seen as unreliable but useful for general overviews.
• Articles subject to editing standards, though not infallible.
• Can provide citations and a broad understanding of topics.

Conclusion

• No single, infallible source of information exists.
• Understand who and why information is shared to place it in context.
• Lateral reading combats misinformation and disinformation.
• Encouraged to practice lateral reading to better evaluate online information.

Credits

• Filmed in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Collaboration with MediaWise and the Stanford History Education Group.
• MediaWise aims to teach students how to assess online information accuracy.

Call to Action

• Visit MediaWiseTips on Instagram for more information on fact-checking and online reasoning.