#7: Exploring Circular Reporting

 

Summary: Circular reporting or false confirmation is where a piece of information appears to come from multiple independent sources, but in reality comes from a single source. This is one way in which false information is spread.

 

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to…

• demonstrate a basic understanding of circular reporting and how it influences false news reports.

• determine several factors that increase circular reporting.

• create a media product that demonstrates how circular reporting takes place and the ramifications it can have on individuals.

 

A. 10-15 Minutes Overview: This lesson examines how false news stories are often spread and several best practices students can implement to enhance their critical thinking skills about the media they consume. Watch the following TedEd Video (3:41) describes how false news often spreads through circular reporting.

 

Split the students into small groups to discuss the following questions:

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• What makes circular reporting ‘circular’?

• What factors contribute to an increase of circular reporting?

• What are some ways students can avoid falling for false information, and avoid contributing to the cycle of circular reporting?

 

Circular reporting, also referred to as false confirmation, is a criticism in journalist source confirmation. It is generally caused by news report on a piece of information that appears to come from multiple independent sources, when in reality the data only comes from one single source. Circular reporting is one of the most common ways in which journalists, bloggers and social media users aid in the spread of false information. Several factors impact circular reporting, including news aggregation, today’s news immediacy and social media virality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activity: Ask for 5-7 volunteers to stand in a line at the front of the classroom, with 4-5 feet between each person. Explain they are going to recreate the childhood game of telephone, where you will tell the person at one end of the line a phrase, which they will then tell the next person and so on, until it reaches the last person in line. There are two twists, 1) music will be playing somewhat loud in the classroom, so it will be more difficult to hear, and 2) you will be timed and must complete within 60 seconds. The phrase is: 

 

“How does the credible news reporter report circular news if she reports news credibly?” 

 

Compare the original phrase to the phrase given by the last person. How do they differ? What factors made the process more difficult? How could the process have been improved by turning off the music distraction and slowing down? How is this activity similar to circular reporting?

 

[Source: Video/Speech originally created by: Noah Tavlin TED-Ed; Animation by Patrick Smith; Script Edited by Alex Gendler. http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-false-news-can-spread-noah-tavlin#review.]

 

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B. 25-30 Minute Lesson: Read the following New York Times article: How I Became Fake News by Brennan Gilmore. Warning: The article includes a brief and graphic video of a terrorist act with some explicit language. Return to your small group, discuss the following questions:

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• What are the repercussions of conspiracy theories being branded as truth?

• What makes circularly reported facts so difficult to correct?

• Circular reporting is not limited to large-scale media and news. How does circular reporting apply to rumors and gossip?

• How do aggregated news sites such as Buzzfeed and Huffington Post impact circular reporting?

 

NewseumEd.org provides an acronym E.S.C.A.P.E. and corresponding worksheet to analyze content and verify it as a credible source. E= Evidence, S=Source, C=Context, A=Audience, P=Purpose, E=Execution. Using the worksheet as a guide, fill out the information using the Gilmore article (above) as your artifact.

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Source: NewseumEd.org

 

C. 45-60 Minute Activity: Circular Reporting Blogging about the Impact of Circular Reporting

 

Watch this short video (3:41) about blogging. Visit WordPress.com to create a free blog page. It can be private, so no one else will read it or public to share with the class. Most blogs share personal reflections about various topics. This blog will include answering the following questions or prompts and citing the Gilmore article (above).

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• How does circular reporting impact lives?

• What are your thoughts about the Gilmore article?

• What are a few practices the public can implement to enhance their critical thinking skills about the news media they consume?

• How does citing an original source legitimize a news story?

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