[Rebekah Coleman]

1. Read the “Fake News” entry from Wikipedia and Conservapedia and write 3 observations about what you notice about the different texts. Questions to consider: Is bias bad? When should you be wary of bias? How can you tell if a piece is biased?

Links to articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news

https://www.conservapedia.com/Fake_news

2. Watch these two Ads. Write a response to them. Questions you can consider (but do not have to answer): What do you notice about them? How are they biased? Is bias bad? Is bias expected in ads?

AND

If possible, please try to reply to at least ONE of your classmate’s comments!

• This topic was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Rebekah Coleman.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Rebekah Coleman.

[Gianluca Alioto]

1. In the first article from wikipedia we get a definition of Fake News and what it is. According to the text it states that Fake News is also known as Junk news, psuedo news, or hoax news. They go by saying that Fake News is a form of news consisting of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread by traditional news media or even online social media. Another observation that I noticed is that the whole thing about Fake news recently increased due to post-truth politics, their goal being to attract viewers to their websites naturally to generate revenue. One thing that was also mentioned in the article was that Fake news undermines serious media coverage and makes it more difficult to cover significant news stories.
-For some of the questions to think about such as “is Bias bad?”, I believe that it a yes and no answer because it is sometimes nice to input your opinion into certain things where you may seem more knowledgble at then other people. In another instance it may be no because sometime your opion can twist the minds of someone else in the way that it makes them hate you views on certain things. You can tell if someone is biased in their speaking, if they are more one sided about their topic then chances are they are biased and only write about what makes them happy and feel appreciated. You should be wary of someone being biased when in conflict against someone because it would not turn out the best. If they are biased that means that they have their own opion and views on certain things and they are pretty straight foward and wont change their mind about it.
2. My response to both videos is that they both get their message across very well. In the first video I started to ger the chills towards the end because of how true it was becoming. The video talks about sexual harasment and that it was a very big thing back then but as the years gre longer and more and more men were being brought into this world they started to send the message that the kids of today are going to be the men of tomorrow and that we need to set a good example for them. The second video was showing us statistics of every different type of man that there is. The narrator goes into saying some things about what a man really is and they end up saying that we can see the good in men and that there are not all bad men in the world. Overall I think that both videos were reallty good at getting their message across and was really enjoying to watch.

[Ray-Ana W.]

1. I agree with Gianluca about Fake News because in today’s world it is used and often seen all over different media and frames. Basically, Fake news are propaganda spread deliberately to get certain messages across. Recently it has been used in politics by The President Trump when a media frame does not agree with him. There are so many types ad ways to have Fake News sometimes it will even mix the truth but not always. The two articles talk on this and go further to say Fake news can also make usually credible source seek less credible. Bias is both good and a bad thing. At times bias can cloud your judgement and persecute someone based off a false rumor. However, sometimes you have to take caution and the bias that are there can have truth to it that you need to be wary about. You should be wary of bias especially in articles when it is trying to persuade you to one side and is blindly giving out negative information without evidence of pointing out the faults of it.
2. The two ads do a great jobs in getting across that men are stuck in gender roles and it is often used as excuses for behavior some men exhibit. It does have some bias in it because it makes it seem as though men are only seen as strong masculine . This helps to get the message of the bias on men and what is expected of them. The second video gives a lot of statics that help to prove that instead of bias it is facts happen in the lives of boys who will be the men of tomorrow.

[Daniel Espinoza]

1. I’m not sure if being bias is good or bad but I think it is a mixture of both. Bias can be a positive or negative thing depending on the topic being discussed like influencing people about good things would be good bias and the opposite for bad bias. You can definitely tell when a piece is bias when it is generally a one-sided piece and it doesn’t even discuss the other side that much. Both of the articles discuss what fake news is and how it is used in media and news outlets. Fake news is also known as junk news, pseudo-news, or hoax news which the media has lots of. For example, the Russia-Trump collusion hoax which is either true or false, but at first glance people believed it that Russia helped Trump get elected. However people realized that it is false and that many people proved so by showing that there is no evidence that the hoax ever happened. To this day, people still believe in this hence the name hoax.
2. Both of the videos have a clear message about men and how they are depicted in society. Like for the first video, you see kids fighting and the fathers say “Boys will be boys”. I have witness something like this in my life. It was showing that men can be something better instead of following the basic principle of a man. You could intervene and stop the fight to give a good example to your children to prepare them for the future. Overall, both videos explain the role of men in society and how you can be a better man.

[Arnelle Martinson]

1.) I agree with Daniel’s opinion about bias. I agree that bias can be a sum of positivity and negativity. Bias can be both because it is based on another person’s opinion. If someone agrees with the topic and stands by it, it can have a positive influence on others. On the other hand, if a person’s opinion is negative and disagrees with a certain topic, then his or her bias can project discouragement and negativity amongst others. Fake news is filled with numerous deception, disinformation and junk news. Politics has had it’s fair amount of fake news especially with our current president today, Donald Trump. There was a numerous amount of propaganda, clickbait and headlines that had a negative connotation behind it. Because of fake news many people believe that Trump won on the behalf of the Russians. Later on, it came out to not be true. This comes to show how biased websites, blogs and news has had an impact on others. You should be wary of certain biased news when the author or a person seems to be one-sided and only defend one side.

2.)In the first ad we see that men are known to have a certain way of behaving based on known stereotypes. For example in the ad it illustrates men holding their tears in because there is a saying that “A man never cries”. This commercial shows the gender role a man is supposed to show amongst others. However in the second ad it shows another biased opinion about the opposite of what a man should be then known stereotypes. Instead of showing men as arrogant, prideful and masculine at all times it shows them as a hero.

[Kayla]

1. Both articles provide an acceptable definition of the term ‘Fake News.’ However, I noticed that the article written by Wikipedia has many different types of examples while the article that was written by Conservapedia only speaks of politics. It seems as if all examples state something about Donald Trump. Whenever a writer is biased they rob the readers of the chance to make a decision for themselves. The author is throwing their opinion at the readers with no other claims and insufficient proof.

2. Ad 1 portrays men as all bad people. It mentions topics like Toxic Masculinity, Sexual Harassment, Bullying. The Ad focus only on the bad things that some men have done instead of balancing out the bad with the good. The second Ad responds to the first by using numbers to show all the good that men have done. Though bias is expected in Ads it is not a good way to get things out to the public because people will be misinformed.

[yanuela abreu]

1. I believe that bias is a negative thing because it can present false news. Like said in the article from Wikipedia, Fake News is written and published with the purpose to damage an agency, a person, or entity using dishonesty. All this thing about Fake News has increased due to post-truth politics. Which use their ability to attract viewers to their websites because it is necessary to generate their online advertising profits. In the conservapedia article it talks about how Fake News is just manipulating the public opinion using false reporting for the purpose of their profits. Therefore people should be careful when giving their opinions because it can be twisted around for someone’s benefit.

2. The two ads do a good job presenting the information on how men are being put on a gender role. The first ad mentions sexual harassment and bullying. Gives the message that todays kids will be men of tomorrow, which we should show them the example to prepare them to become the good men that they will become. The second ad presents the statistics of the good things that men have done.

[Florence Jiang]

1. What I observed from reading about “fake news” from wikipedia and conservapedia is that they talk about it being used in political aspect. Also both outlets explained how it’s similar to clickbait stories and headlines. I think being biased is good and bad, it depends on whether how the person uses it. For example being bias is good when convincing someone however when being biased you need to be very careful with what you say because it can influence someone greatly.
2. The two ad that was presented is similar to my research project. It showed how men are pressured in the society to become more of a man. Males are pressured to be more masculine, be responsible, being the head of the family, and etc. which is why in the statistic that was shown in the second video stated that 80% of suicide victims are males.

[Anthony Regner (A278+π)]

Anthony Regner’s Response

1. I have observed the Wikipedia’s version of “Fake news” defines the term “fake news” and identifies types of fake news while Conservapedia’s version of “Fake news” lists specific examples of fake news on the beginning of the article. Each version of their articles provide different branches of information such as: while Wikipedia’s version of “Fake news” covers information about fake news in each country, Conservapedia’s version of “Fake news” complies how different companies respond to “Fake news” such as Facebook and Snopes determining whether a piece of information is false. Both versions cover how to identity fake news, examples, and the history. In addition, Wikipedia’s version of the article “Fake News” identify the types of fake news. Claire Wardle preferred not to say the term “Fake news”, but instead to decompose them into three categories: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation.

For both articles, although the “Identifying fake news” is written in imperative form (non-neutral), it has minimal bias, because these articles are written neutrally and do not favor one side or the another.

Not all bias has to be bad. Sometimes, minimal to mild bias can actually allow sharing of opinions and viewpoints. Having limited bias in papers are designed to voice one’s opinions and what is the author thinking. If the author chooses not to have bias, it makes sure that information is 100% factual and not take any sides. On the contrary, extreme bias has to be avoided though. Extreme bias can mean: mass promoting one side while downplaying the other side, and even adding false information to influence others. In addition, using lots of loaded and emotional language indicates extreme bias.

2. I thought the Gillette ads were promoting razor and shaving products. However, after seeing these two ads, it was promoting masculinity, and it had a lot of emotional impact. The first ad shows even men can be victims of bullying and homicide. Therefore, it shows how men has all the potential and the talent as women do. No person should be treated differently based on different characteristics.

Bias on ads is expected when they promote products for sale. One notable example is “As Seen on TV” products. This kind of advertisements often exaggerate how the product works better than others, advertise as “ONE LOW PRICE”, and try to entice people to act fast to buy their products without doing their research. In reality, advertising may not only have bias, but ads may also be deceiving. For instance, the product is advertised as “one low price of $19.99” when in reality, they markup the prices (shipping, handling, processing, and delivery fees, and taxes), which can effectively double (or triple) the cost of the advertised product. However, bias on ads is reduced when it is just advertising the company itself, and especially when it is a public service announcements.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Anthony Regner (A278+π).

[Sahesha]

1. Both articles does a great job of defining fake news and gives examples on what fake news is and how its used. However the conservapedia article only gave examples of how fake news is used in politics and how politicians use fake news as a advantage to take down their opponents, while the wikipedia article gave the reader a better understanding of what fake news is by mentioning the different example fake news and how they can be viewed also the article mentioned its history and how other countries deal with the issue as well as how fake news can be detected online.

2. The first ad did a outstanding job showcasing how society view men and how we should stop excusing behavior such as bullying and sexual harassment and how that behavior can be stopped at an early age. The first ad also encouraged men to be respectful. The second ad showed the statistics of the hardships of what men go through whether its homelessness or being a victim of suicide and homicide.

[Josh Clarke]

1. WIkipedia defines fake news more as yellow journalism or a hoax. Conservapedia defines it more as a liberal bias in the media. It goes on to prove that all of it is misleading and false. Bias is usually used as a bad permutation. But, bias can also be used a positive connotation. Bias can strike up many conversations between people and how they feel. You can tell when a piece is bias when it is subjective and is geared as opinionated. Pieces that also do not bring up the counter argument to their point can also be seen as biased.

2. At first glance, you would believe that the ads would be about Gillette’s male care products. But the first ad describes men as toxic and stereotypical. It drives a lot of emotional impact throughout the ad. The second ad basically counter argues what the first ad tried to depict.