You will learn
Misinformation about the midterm elections and climate change will find its way into social media feeds in the coming months. Learn how to be MediaWise and apply key digital media literacy skills.
What does ‘Miss Me With That Misinformation’ mean?
#MissMeWithThatMisinformation is a public service announcement campaign brought to you by the MediaWise Campus Correspondents with support from Meta. This diverse group of college students is committed to teaching their peers how to identify and fact-check misinformation on their social media feeds. The campaign addresses specific ways to fact-check claims about climate and the 2022 midterm elections.
Climate misinfo? Yeah, you can miss me with that!
Climate change and global warming are polarizing subjects. And people tend to have their minds made up about whether they agree with a claim or not. This can lead to people blindly sharing a post that reinforces their opinion without verifying if it’s true.
When you feel strongly about a climate-related post you see on your feed, it can be hard to slow down and find out if it’s fact or fiction. But if you want to be MediaWise — and avoid sharing misinformation — pause before you share and ask yourself these three key questions:
Why do people share false posts?
If we know misinformation is so harmful, why would someone want to share it? Well, there are several reasons that may surprise you. And once you know why someone would want you to believe something that isn’t true, you’ll definitely want to fact-check before you share.
Good democracy runs on truth
Your vote should be based on facts… But election season can be exhausting, as candidates and supporters will do whatever they can to win your support. Unfortunately, that can include spreading out-of-context images, videos or quotes. Who you choose to support is your decision, however, we’re dedicated to ensuring that you know your choices are grounded in truth.
A simple way to start fact-checking your feed is to do a keyword search.
Numbers, data and statistics, oh my!
Let’s suppose a post about climate change includes data, graphics or statistics as evidence to prove a point. Seems legit, right?
Tip
Reading upstream is a great skill to dive deeper into what numbers and data really mean.
Not exactly. People can use numbers to tell whatever story they want you to believe. In other words, they can be selling you a narrative. In the post below, someone took a pie chart out of context to make a misleading claim about how man made carbon dioxide impacts the atmosphere.
Who can you trust?
The truth is, you can’t believe what everyone has to say about climate change. Some opinions are based on falsehoods and others are…baseless. So who can you listen to?
Tip
Look to the experts, reliable reporting and academic institutions for reliable information about climate.
These sources have established credibility and information based in science about climate. Avoid sources with clear biases and political leanings.
Summary
Misinformation really impacts our world and has the power to undermine our democracy. You should understand why people share false claims, how to check them and how to identify a legitimate source. Use the tips shared throughout this PSA campaign to check election and climate claims you see on your feed.
