In an Era of Fake News, Information Literacy Has a Role to Play in Journalism Education in Ireland

Irish Communication Review Volume 16 | Issue 1 Article 3 June 2018 In an Era of Fake News, Information Literacy Has a Role to Play in Journalism Education in Ireland Isabelle Courtney Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.dit.ie/icr Part of the Communication Technology and New Media Commons Recommended Citation Courtney, Isabelle (2018) "In an Era of Fake News, Information Literacy Has a Role to Play in Journalism Education in Ireland," Irish Communication Review: Vol. 16: Iss. 1, Article 3. doi:10.21427/D73X6Q Available at: https://arrow.dit.ie/icr/vol16/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals Published Through Arrow at ARROW@TU Dublin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Irish Communication Review by an authorized administrator of ARROW@TU Dublin. For more information, please contact , , . Irish Communications Review vol 16 (2018) In an era of fake news, information literacy has a role to play in journalism education in Ireland Isabelle Courtney Abstract Framed by the problem of fake news and misinformation, a recent study into journalism education in Ireland focused on the overlaps that exist between two professions: journalism and librarianship. The emerging literature on fake news is overwhelmingly coming from these two disciplines. Historically both have deep roots in truth and fact and employ a specific range of tools for the evaluation of information. Librarians use a framework called information literacy, while journalism educators speak of media literacy, fact-checking and verification of sources. With the many overlaps in media and information literacy, journalists and librarians would appear to be natural partners in the fight against fake news. This article looks at the current level of awareness of information literacy among journalism educators and establishes if there is scope for collaboration and development of a bespoke information literacy module in journalism, media and broadcasting courses. Introduction Recent shifts in the media ecosystem and the decline in public trust of the media has shone a light on the need for enhanced media and information literacy skills. Since the Trump presidential campaign in the US and the Brexit campaign in the UK there has been concern regarding the rapid proliferation of fake news and misinformation, particularly through social media (Moore, 2017). A 2017 Reuters Institute report into digital news found that there is a sense, in some countries, that newsfeeds are being overwhelmed or polluted by different political agendas (Newman et al., 2017). 19 Irish Communications Review vol 16 (2018) With the overabundance of information available today there is an increasing need for verification and validation of news stories and sources. A study conducted by the Stanford History Education Group on online media literacy has been widely cited in response to concerns about fake news. This study found that students at all levels are underprepared to identify misleading information online and to effectively evaluate its trustworthiness (Stanford History Education Group, 2016). Today undergraduates face a challenge: They can access more information on their mobile phone at a moment’s notice than previous generations could access in a university library. However, much of the information digested by students today is of questionable quality. This reality makes knowing how to properly search for, use, and evaluate information a critical skill for the 21 st century (Fosnacht, 2017). The ability to evaluate information is imperative for all individuals but is of particular importance to students studying to be media professionals, since these students will be the journalists of the future and will fill the roles of gatekeepers and arbitrators of civic discourse. In this era of fake news, it can be harder than ever for journalists to prove themselves objective and honest in their coverage of important news events where they can be met with not skepticism but outright rejection or denial. Journalists should be open to criticism for the stories they write but for news pieces to be dismissed as fake and lumped with the latest conspiracy theories shared on social media is a deeply troubling notion. Not all news pieces will be met with universal agreement but good reporting should inspire meaningful debate and tarring such pieces as fake news is undermining this notion (Farrell, 2017). Many academic librarians agree that the current prominence of fake news in the public conversation has presented librarians with the opportunity and responsibility to assume a leadership role as trained information professionals in providing relevant information literacy instruction to students and to develop collaborative partnerships with the teaching faculty across the disciplines. In an effort to establish if information literacy has a role to play in journalism education, a recent Irish study investigated the interactions between journalism educators and academic librarians. It looked at the overlaps in both professions and the level of awareness of information literacy among journalism and media faculties. 20 Irish Communications Review vol 16 (2018) A qualitative study was employed whereby face to face interviews were conducted with practitioners from both disciplines of librarianship and journalism education across six Irish educational institutions who offer level-8 BA journalism or media and communication courses. Data was collected by using semi-structured interviews, using a list of issues to explore. Literature Review This literature review aims to provide a brief overview of research relating to the issue of fake news and the current discourses from the fields of librarianship and journalism. It further looks at the overlaps in information and media literacy and the correlation between the two professions. Fake news is defined as the promotion and propagation of news articles via traditional and social media. These articles are promoted in such a way that they appear to be spread by other users, as opposed to being paid-for advertising. The news stories distributed are designed to influence or manipulate users’ opinions on a certain topic towards certain objectives. The term Fake News, also referred to as Misinformation or Alternative Facts is most often used to describe completely fabricated stories, but can also be applied to a broader continuum of news (Gu and Yarochkin, 2017). Many news outlets will exhibit some form of explicit or implicit bias while not falling into the fake news category. Assessing the quality of the information source is crucial and it is up to every individual to evaluate the information and ensure that it is reliable and truthful. Eric Novotny, librarian at Penn State University libraries, divides fake news into seven categories: Fake News: Sources that intentionally fabricate information, disseminate deceptive content, or grossly distort act (...truncated)