Is that a fact?

In today’s episode we speak with Emily Hund, author of The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media, about the evolution of social media influencers and how disparate events like rapid advances in technology and the decline of traditional news outlets have boosted their prevalence and impact since their emergence during the Great Recession.
These authentic-seeming people whose lives unfold online provide advice many social media users have come to follow as closely as they would that of a trusted friend. And yet, many of them aren't credentialed or especially qualified to provide even the most basic of recommendations.
"Their expertise is their authenticity," said Hund. "So that's what this all really comes down to. It's the thing that keeps this industry growing and thriving and changing. These people are able to construct their public personas as someone who's credible, someone who's believable because they're authentic."
Hund is also a research affiliate at the center on Digital Culture at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. Tune in to hear her insights about how influencers came to dominate our social media feeds and how much we can trust the authenticity they’ve staked their livelihoods on.

Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.

Have you ever scratched your head when reading an article or watching the news and wondered if you were getting facts or opinion? If so, you’re not alone. News organizations have not made it easy for consumers to differentiate between news and the views of an individual or media outlet.
Tom Rosenstiel, professor at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism and co-author of The Elements of Journalism, explained why there is confusion in today’s podcast episode. “The purpose of news is to inspire conversation, to inspire people to consider public life, to consider their community. Editorials are there to further inspire public consideration. Here's what we think. We've read many stories, we've talked to our reporters, we've considered this.”

Rosenstiel also explained how the rise of 24-hour cable TV has tilted the media world off it’s “just the facts” axis, particularly after 1996, when Fox and MSNBC entered the fray. To compete with CNN, which had a larger reporting staff, they filled their time slots with talk shows that provided a slanted view of the news.

Listen and find out more.
Additional Reading:

• The New Ethics of Journalism, edited by Kelly McBride and Tom Rosenstiel
• Blur: How to know what's true in the age of information overload, by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
• We interrupt this newscast: How to improve local news and win ratings, too, by Todd L. Dante Chinni, Walter Dean, Belt, Marion Just, Atiba Pertilla

Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.

Our guest this week is Gilbert Bailon, the editor-in-chief of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Our host spoke to Bailon about the importance of local news to American democracy. Local news organizations have been gutted in recent years, leaving communities across the country with little to no coverage and stripping them of their watchdogs. What are the consequences for American democracy and why should everyday Americans care?

Bailon joined the Post-Dispatch as editorial page editor in 2007 and then in 2012, became the paper’s editor. Before that, he was executive director of the Dallas Morning News and the founding editor and publisher of Al Dia, a daily Spanish-language newspaper owned by the Dallas Morning News. He has served as president of the American Society of News Editors, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and Unity Journalists of Color.

By some estimates, 1,300 communities across the country now have no local news outlet at all, leaving them with no independent oversight of local government and corporate activities. Some cities, such as Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Youngstown lost their daily newspapers, while some papers like the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that used to provide award-winning, robust local coverage, are now operating on a shoestring with reduced staffs.

Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.

Within journalism circles, Maria Ressa is a hero. She is a veteran journalist, as well as the co-founder, executive editor and CEO of Rappler , a popular online news website in the Philippines. Ressa is celebrated for her critical coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte and for enduring legal challenges to her site’s reporting.
She has experienced first-hand how hard it is for journalists to hold the line against an authoritarian leader when press freedoms are threatened. In June, Ressa and her former Rappler colleague were found guilty of “cyber libel.” She is currently fighting the government’s move to revoke Rappler’s license and faces up to 100 years in prison for her work as a journalist.
Ressa is the subject of a recent PBS documentary, “A Thousand Cuts,” about the fight between the government and the press in the Philippines. She was named Time Magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year, was among its 100 Most Influential People of 2019, and has also been named one of Time's Most Influential Women of the Century. She is the author of two books: From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism; and Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qaeda's Newest Center.
Our host spoke to Ressa about the rise of misinformation, the role of tech in
misinformation and, of course, her battles with Duterte. The interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
Additional credit: Suzannah Gonzales provided producing assistance, Zoe Denckla provided research assistance and Miranda Shafer provided production assistance.

Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.

In today’s episode of our podcast Is that a fact?, guest host Jake Lloyd digs into how misinformation manifests in the sports world with author and journalist Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic and host of the Spotify podcast Jemele Hill is Unbothered . Hill discusses not only how sports falsehoods spread, but also how the nature of sports reporting makes it more resistant to manipulation than news coverage.
Additional reading and listening:

• What does Kyrie Irving see in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories? Jemele Hill, The Atlantic
• The story behind the most notorious fake news outlet in sports, Ben Pickman, Sports Illustrated
• Jamele Hill is disappointed in a lack of courage in journalists today, Dessi Gomez, The Wrap
• ESPN posted manipulated image of Joe Burrow after AFC Championship loss, RumorGuard (The News Literacy Project)
• Hamlin's collapse spurs new wave of vaccine misinformation, Ali Swenso, David Klepper and Sophia Tulp, AP News
• Uphill: A Memoir, Jemele Hill
• An NBA all-star missed more than a month, and reporters had no answers, Ben Strauss, The Washington Post

Is that a fact? is a production of the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Our host is Darragh Worland, our producer is Mike Webb, our editor is Timothy Kramer, and our theme music is by Eryn Busch.