Op-ed assignment about fake news

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km0320

Business Finance

Description

You can talk anything about fake news, but not means to talk about generalities fake news. You need to express your opinion about a particular case. So that, find a specific case about fake news, than express your opinion about it.

Op-Ed Assignment:

Length: min. 250 words max. 500 words

Description:

- The aim is to write a reasoned and fact-based personal opinion on one topics discussed in the course.

Things to take into consideration:

- The theme is deliberately open-ended so that you can choose your specific angle to tackle the question.

- You are free to argue whatever you want as long as:

. a) You provide arguments, evidence and facts to support your position.

. b) Your argument does not include “hate speech” , which is speech that incites hatred against a group of persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or the like.

. c) You must address counter-arguments in your op-ed. For example, if you're arguing that online dating is bad, you must counter the people who would say that it's good. If you're saying that video game depictions of women are sexist, you must address the arguments that people have already made for why the damsel in distress trope is acceptable. If you're saying that UCSD needs more athletic advisors, imagine someone in the administration telling you that "we don't have money for that." You should anticipate this resistance and preemptively respond to it in your pieces.

- You need to provide both EVIDENCE and DATA to support your argument.

(a) This evidence cannot be anecdotal, or draw from secondary and partisan sources.

(b) If you are basing some of your argument in a news article (or another op-ed) you need to identify the primary sources for that article and make sure that the article has not misconstrued the argument for its purposes

I have attached more details, and there are some good examples to write a good Op-ed. Please look them carefully.

Unformatted Attachment Preview

For the Op-Ed you will be asked to use topics discussed in class and sections to write a personal opinion column, like the ones you read in newspapers. Op-Ed Assignment: Length: min. 250 words max. 500 words Description: - The aim is to write a reasoned and fact-based personal opinion on one topics discussed in the course. Things to take into consideration: - The theme is deliberately open-ended so that you can choose your specific angle to tackle the question. - You are free to argue whatever you want as long as: . a) You provide arguments, evidence and facts to support your position. . b) Your argument does not include “hate speech” , which is speech that incites hatred against a group of persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or the like. Stylistic notes: - Op-eds are meant to be wide-read. So avoid jargon and technical terms. Here some good examples: Good Op-Ed writers: http://www.nationalreview.com/author/charles-kraut... https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/george-f-wil... https://www.nytimes.com/column/paul-krugman 4 https://www.nytimes.com/column/charles-m-blow https://www.nytimes.com/column/gail-collins https://www.theguardian.com/profile/georgemonbiot https://www.theguardian.com/profile/pollytoynbee Places to find good Op-Eds https://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html http://www.newyorker.com/contributors https://www.theatlantic.com/ http://www.nationalreview.com https://www.ft.com/opinion https://www.wsj.com/news/opinion https://www.theguardian.com/us/commentisfree http://www.economist.com/ Op-Ed Dos and Don’ts DOs DO choose a compelling, specific title DO hammer home your point as clearly and simply as you can DO tell your reader why they should care!! DO base your writing on something specific: an event, an article you want to refute, a new law, etc. DO use specific examples to illustrate your argument DO back up your argument with hard data DO step your reader through your logic DO provide recommendations about how to grapple with the problem you’re discussing DO point out contradictions if you see them DO use the active voice and short sentences and paragraphs to emphasize your points DO use snappy language to engage your reader (but use it sparingly!) DON’Ts DON’T start in one place and end in another (DO keep your argument consistent throughout) DON’T include details that don’t directly support your main argument DON’T make comparisons between disparate situations (false equivalencies) DON’T use bitter or resentful language DON’T use strawman arguments (don’t argue against an opponent who doesn’t exist or deliberately misrepresent someone’s points to make them easier to attack) DON’T use rhetorical questions (questions you already know the answer to). Instead, rephrase the question as a statement Op-ed workshop… What is an Op-Ed? 1.- It is a short OPINION piece in which you develop a STRONG argument. What is an Op-Ed? 2.- You can defend ANY opinion you want, IF AND ONLY IF, it is well-argued, fact-based and does not incur in hate speech. What is an Op-Ed? 3.- You need to provide evidence to support your argument. (a) This evidence cannot be anecdotal, or draw from secondary and partisan sources. • Official data • Scientific data (peer-reviewed and accredited sources) • This data has to be weighted against other data (e.g. if you pick an opinion poll on, say, approval ratings for the president, find if other polls give different results What is an Op-Ed? 3.- You need to provide evidence to support it. (b) If you are basing some of your argument in a news article (or another op-ed) you need to identify the primary sources for that article and make sure that the article has not misconstrued the argument for its purposes What is an Op-Ed? 4.- You need to provide evidence to support it. This evidence cannot draw from secondary or partisan sources. a.- YOU NEED TO USE THE IDEAS AND AUTHORS FROM THIS COURSE TO BUILD YOUR ARGUMENT (which does NOT mean that you have to agree with them) b.- You must also do RESEARCH to include other ideas or authors and relate it to class material? What is an Op-Ed? 5.- Reach a wide audience. So you need to avoid obscure or technical terms that only a few can understand (for example, don’t talk about “signifiers” and “signifieds”!! .- If you absolutely need to use a “weird” word, then YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN it so that your uncle/untie understand it. For example, “this is what some authors have called “gender performance”, which is the idea that our gender identities are not given when we are born, but are being constantly done in our everyday lives by, for example, repeating gender codes, (like the one that says that only women wear skirts”… WHAT ARE YOU WRITING ABOUT? Each week provides you with a possible “variable” to write your Op-Ed For example: WEEK 2: how does the work of representation shapes the political discourse in our democracies? .- (e.g. does the work of representing “the other” (the migrant, the refugee, the Muslim) have some effect in the political discourse? What about how women are represented? Or men? Or minorities? Or majorities? .- are there different ways of seeing? Can you identify some? Do you think they have effects? WEEK 3: How do ways of talking shape the categories through which political debate takes place? You need facts, fact, facts, facts! “society will not do“ “Western media“ “People don’t understand “ “Most media is propaganda“ “Politicians are “ “The media has a racist/sexist bias..” “News always have a motive” “Muslims/Asians/Blacks/Whites are always represented “ Media always represent The elites don’t want us to You need TO DO RESEARCH! -find polls -find scientific studies -find official data TO BACK UP ALL THE CLAIMS YOU MAKE You need a good title! “Social media and Democracy” “Internet and Politics” “Op-Ed for Comm 10” You need a good title! “Social media and Democracy” “Internet and Politics” “Op-Ed for Comm 10” “Facebook is ruining Democracy” “Why you are wrong about Donald Trump” “Why UCSD is more a business then a public university” “You read fake news, and you don’t know it” You need a topic AND A CASE Media and Democracy is your topic NOT YOUR CASE A topic might be… . Hot topics (election results, climate change, etc.) .Specific policies (travel ban, Dreamers, immigration reform, Healthcare reform) . The effects of specific media platforms in politics (fake news, media bias. Etc.) . Specific examples of discrimination and/or stereotyping against different groups .Specific personal examples that reveal wider problems Don’t summarize readings! Don’t talk about generalities “social media is good/bad for democracy”, You need to express your opinion about a particular case, so choose something you have a strong opinion about
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running head: FAKE NEWS

1

Digital Media should stop misinforming Americans using Fake News
Name
Institution

FAKE NEWS

2

Digital Media should stop misinforming Americans using Fake News
Whenever an act of violence happens, especially the shootings in the recent U.S history,
many media houses and online platforms are quick to establish the background of shooters or
crime perpetrators. Google and Facebook are some of the sites that people rush to for
information in the wake of attacks as in the case of Las Vegas shooting. However, they are
increasingly becoming unreliable as they help in promoting fake news. The shooter in the Las
Vegas shooting that claimed the lives of 50 people, the largest shooting in modern American
history, was misrepresented by Facebook as a “Trump-hating Rachel Meadow fan” (Fast
Company, 2017). The post which was available at the ‘Safety Check’ page led to the
misinformation of the public on the belief system of the murderer.
Articles and information like this specific case are not uncommon in the recent past in the
U.S. When Obama was leaving office, an online news page The Boston Tribune, published a
story hoaxing Americans that Michelle’s mother would receive a $160,000 annual pension for
taking care of the president’s daughters in the White House. While some of the fake news may
be harmless and serves as a means of evoking opinions from the public, some fake news can
create controversies that are hurtful to unity. According to December 2016 survey by Pew
Research Institute, 23 percent of adults in the country have spread and shared fake news at some
point (Mitchell et al., 2016). That way, the problem of fake news is high and leads to high
misinformation of the public.
Proponents of fake news in online forums may argue that the freedom of expression
allows people to engage in whatever opinions they have of different happenings in the everyday
activities. However, fake news work to create a particular opinion and evoke emotional reactions
to even the least controversial issues in the society. When we are misinformed on sensitive issues

FAKE NEWS
such as the Las Vegas shooting, we tend to react to the information, and the result is a greater
division and the advancement of Neo-Nazism ideas in the American society. Online news
forums, led by Facebook and Google, should stop advancing fake news on terror activities and
start promoting clarity and accuracy in their presentation of events.

3

FAKE NEWS

4
References

Barthel, M., Mitchell, A. and Holcomb, J. (2016, December 15). Many Americans Believe Fake
News Is Sowing Confusion. 23% say they have shared a made-up news story – either
knowingly or not. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from
http://www.journalism.org/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowingconfusion/
Fast Company. (2017, October 2). Facebook’s Safety Check page for the Las Vegas
shooting promotes “alt-right news.” Retrieved from
https://www.fastcompany.com/40475749/facebooks -safety-check-page-forthe-las-vegas-shooting-promotes-alt-right-news

Attached.

Running head: FAKE NEWS

1

Digital Media should stop misinforming Americans using Fake News
Name
Institution

FAKE NEWS

2

Digital Media should stop misinforming Americans using Fake News
Online content posses much power which influences the opinions of the public. Google
and Facebook are some of the sites that people rush to for information in the wake of attacks as
in the case of Las Vegas shooting. However, they are increasingly becoming unreliable as they
help in promoting fake news. The shooter in the Las Vegas shooting that claimed the lives of 50
people, the largest shooting in modern American history, was misrepresented by Facebook as a
“Trump-hating Rachel Meadow fan” (Fast Company, 2017). The post which was available at the
‘Safety Check’ page led to the misinformation of the public on the belief system of the murderer.
Other than this case of the shooter, misrepresentations about various issues in the society
touching on celebrities, politicians, and even big events are misrepresented in the online
platforms leading to confusion.
Articles and information like this specific case are not uncommon in the recent past in the
U.S. Facebook and Google have been faulted for spreading propaganda through allowing fake
news on their platforms an...

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