COVID-19 Information Evaluation
There has been an array of fake and false claims in the media about the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to very different responses by people throughout the country to government-based COVID-19 policies and recommendations (e.g., mask requirements, lockdown, social distancing).
In one of the first studies to look at the impact of fake news on people's behaviors in 2021, researchers at the University College Dublin found that reading a fabricated news story (e.g., "certain foods will protect you against COVID-19" or "vaccines are not safe") just once could produce a small but measurable change in how people intended to act toward the virus. Left unexamined by this study was the potential impact of repeated exposure to pandemic-related misinformation on people's thinking and acting.
Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): Fake News: Fact and Fiction - Fake news in the age of coronavirus. Uploaded by BBC Learning English.
Have you been able to distinguish fake news about COVID-19 from the truthful and reliable information and guidance? How do you think other students and community members did with evaluating news about COVID-19? The following activities are designed to explore these questions.
Activity 1: Counter False News about COVID-19
It is the year 2021 and you have just been elected to serve as President Biden's marketing director. Biden has been struggling to increase the overall vaccination rates for the country and he has asked you to use your research and marketing skills to educate individuals who do not believe in or understand the risks of the COVID-19 virus.
- Identify individuals or groups who might not believe in the severity of the COVID-19 virus or think the virus is a hoax.
- Conduct Internet research and survey family and community members to identify possible explanations for why these individuals/groups developed inaccurate opinions about COVID-19 and what can be done about it.
- Then, explore the following resources to learn how to create persuasive scientific media:
- Develop a digital video or podcast to bring awareness and truthful information about COVID-19 to the individuals who might not believe in or understand the risks of the virus.
- Make sure to start by addressing any misconceptions they might have about COVID-19.
Activity 2: Evaluate Twitter Posts About COVID-19 in Regards to Civic, Political, and Private Life
- Explore posts about COVID-19 on Twitter (e.g., #covid19).
- Curate at least 15 tweets each from individuals engaging in: 1) Civic life; 2) Political life; and 3) Private life in a spreadsheet, Wakelet, slide deck, or virtual bulletin board (e.g., Padlet).
- Critically examine the differences in tweets between the three groups:
- What issues or policies are most frequently discussed?
- What types of visuals are used?
- What type of language is used?
- How do the individuals seek to influence others through their posts?
- Which types of posts got the most responses (shares, likes, retweets, comments)?
- How accurate, reliable, trustworthy, and credible are the posts?
- Create a screen recording or interactive image to present your findings.
- Interactive image:
- Start a new Google Drawings canvas.
- Upload a screenshot of selected tweets to the middle of the canvas.
- Insert text boxes and shapes to call attention to your findings.
- Add links to additional information (e.g., the original image source).
- Screen recording:
Additional Resources
Connecting to the Standards
- Massachusetts Civics & Government Standards
- Distinguish among civic, political, and private life. (Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Studies) [8.T4.3]
- ISTE Standards
- Digital Citizen
- 2c: Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
- Knowledge Constructor
- 3a: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
- 3b: Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
- 3c: Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
- 3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
- Computational Thinker
- 5b: Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
- Creative Communicator
- 6a: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
- 6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
- 6c: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
- 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.
- DLCS Standards
- Ethics and Laws (CAS.b)
- Interpersonal and Societal Impact (CAS.c)
- Digital Tools (DTC.a)
- Collaboration and Communication (DTC.b)
- Research (DTC.c)
- English Language Arts > History/Social Studies Common Core Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.5
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.8
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.8
Women Political Leaders in the Media
In early 2021, the website Insider presented a list of the Most Famous Female Politician from Every State. Some were nationally known figures like Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi from California or former presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was born in Illinois. Others were historical figures, such as Jeannette Rankin from Montana who was the first woman elected to Congress, or modern-day trailblazers, including Sarah McBridge, Delaware's first openly transgender state senator, and Kristi Noem, South Dakota's first woman governor.
Media coverage of women in political roles can vary greatly. Some women are in the news all the time; others are hardly ever mentioned. Those who appear regularly are often presented differently depending on the political lean of different media outlets. Social scientists have shown that the media cover women and men political leaders differently. Stories about women in politics more often mention their appearance, clothing, family, and instances of combative behavior, all in line with traditional gender stereotypes. Such gender bias hinders women and helps male leaders politically.
Thinking about your own media experience...have you seen women represented in leadership positions (e.g., Mulan and Elsa from Disney movies; world leaders such as Angela Merkel and Jacinda Ardern; individuals thrust into the spotlight such as Greta Thunberg, Emma Watson, or Meghan Markle)? Do you think it is important for women to be represented in leadership roles in the media?
Video \(\PageIndex{2}\): Women should represent women in media - Megan Kamerick. Uploaded by TED-Ed.
In these activities, you will examine how women political leaders are represented in the media, both in the United States and in different countries around the world.
Activity 1: Examine the Representation of Women Political Leaders in the Media
- Identify a female political leader from the United States. Here are some of the examples of female leaders:
- Michelle Obama
- Nancy Pelosi
- Ruth Bader Ginsberg
- Amy Coney-Barrett
- Hillary Clinton
- Kamala Harris
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Curate a digital collection of media content, including videos, news articles, blog posts, and social media tweets, about the individual you selected on a Wakelet, Padlet, or slide deck.
- Critically evaluate how various media outlets and media professionals portray and discuss the individual you selected.
- Use the following prompts to guide your investigation:
- What gender stereotypes are used? What might be the consequences of depicting female leaders in stereotypical ways?
- How does the portrayal of the individual you selected compare to the portrayal of male political leaders?
- How do different media outlets portray and/or discuss the individual you selected? Do they use different language and visuals? Do they focus on different topics/perspectives? Why do you think this is?
- Write an article for your school or local newspaper in which you share your findings and identify ways that media outlets can improve the presentation of women political leaders.
Activity 2: Evaluate the Media Portrayal of Women Leaders in Different Countries and Careers
- Evaluate the differences in media representation of women political leaders from the United States and women leaders in other countries and/or other fields (see Forbes Magazine "The World's Most Powerful Women").
- Are women political leaders in the United States portrayed differently than women political leaders in other countries?
- Are women political leaders discussed differently than women leaders in other fields like business and science?
- Create a social media campaign to illuminate the differences in media portrayals of women leaders from different fields/countries.
- The social media campaign should include at least 2 videos (e.g., YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok), 5 example posts, and 3 images (e.g., memes, graphics, infographics) designed by you.
- Here is a social media campaign example created by Justin Lo, Daniel Mulno, and David Warde and here is a Twitter campaign example by Sara Shea.
Additional Resources
Connecting to the Standards
- Massachusetts Civics & Government Standards
- Distinguish among civic, political, and private life. (Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Studies) [8.T4.3]
- ISTE Standards
- Digital Citizen
- 2c: Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
- Knowledge Constructor
- 3a: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
- 3b: Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
- 3c: Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
- Creative Communicator
- 6a: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
- 6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
- 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.
- DLCS Standards
- Ethics and Laws (CAS.b)
- Interpersonal and Societal Impact (CAS.c)
- Digital Tools (DTC.a)
- Collaboration and Communication (DTC.b)
- Research (DTC.c)
- English Language Arts > History/Social Studies Common Core Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.5
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.8
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.8
