https://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/news/Murphy Library NewsPosts tagged with 'Elizabeth Humrickhouse':2023-05-04T17:01:45.78Zhttps://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/news/true-or-false/True or False2023-05-04T17:01:45.78Z2023-05-03T09:00:00ZChelsea Wyman-Greenhttps://uwlax.edu/profile/cwyman/cwyman@uwlax.edu
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<p class="date"><span class="label">Posted </span><span data-part="time">9 a.m.</span><span data-part="weekday"><span> </span>Wednesday</span><span data-part="month"><span>, </span>May</span><span data-part="day"><span> </span>3</span><span data-part="year"><span>, </span>2023</span></p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="/contentassets/b33c6a9df52442a7b8d3c87af73aa817/use-this-one.png/Large" alt="" />
<figcaption>Graphic depicting the struggle to determine if something is fact or fake news</figcaption>
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<h3 class="tagline">Determining the reliability of data in news sources</h3>
<p>By <a data-mce-href="/profile/ehumrickhouse/" href="/profile/ehumrickhouse/" target="_blank" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW96189656 BCX4">Liz </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SpellingErrorHighlight SCXW96189656 BCX4">Humrickhouse</span></a><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW96189656 BCX4"> (she/her</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW96189656 BCX4">/hers)</span></p><p><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW96189656 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW186834824 BCX4" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW186834824 BCX4">Today, more than ever, it can be difficult to distinguish between reliable and unreliable news coverage. While there’s no magic formula for determining if a news story is trustworthy, there are several strategies that can help us make an informed decision. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW186834824 BCX4">Keep reading to learn about</span> <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW186834824 BCX4">techniques</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW186834824 BCX4"> for making sense of data used in news reporting and for evaluating a news source.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW186834824 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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<h3>Look for context </h3>
<p><span data-contrast="none">Data is commonly used to create context for a news story. You can probably think of news coverage you’ve read or watched recently that used a graph or infographic to enhance the reporting, but how do you know if these charts, data sets and polls are reliable?&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">Start by asking yourself, “How is the data being used in a news story?” For instance, does the data being used match the argument being made? Here’s an example of how a graph used without context can be misleading. Look at the graph below and try to interpret the data presented.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br data-mce-bogus="1"></p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="/contentassets/b33c6a9df52442a7b8d3c87af73aa817/s23-fine-print/liz_fine-print.png/Large" alt="" />
<figcaption>Bar graph titled, "News Publication by Average Readability," from "How Smart is Your News Source."</figcaption>
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<p><span data-contrast="none">If this chart was used in a news story about which news outlets publish the most “readable” stories, that is, news reports that the largest number of people can read and understand, we might assume that MSNBC produced the most readable news stories while the BBC produced the least readable. Without additional context, that would be a logical conclusion to draw.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">Without more information about how to interpret this graph, we can’t determine whether or not the news story where it was used provided us with an accurate interpretation. An ethical news organization would provide its audience with the additional information needed to accurately interpret this graph. At the very least, a news outlet should cite its sources and tell its audience where the graph comes from. In this case, the graph comes from the article “</span><a href="https://towardsdatascience.com/how-smart-is-your-news-source-1fe0c550c7d9" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://towardsdatascience.com/how-smart-is-your-news-source-1fe0c550c7d9"><em><span data-contrast="none">How Smart is Your News Source?</span></em></a><em><span data-contrast="none">”</span></em><span data-contrast="none"> In this article, the author conducted several analyses of different news outlets and the articles they published to draw conclusions about sentiment, readability and bias among other topics. For the graph in question, the author provided the following context,&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><blockquote><p><em><span data-contrast="none">“The </span></em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_tests" data-mce-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_tests" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span data-contrast="none">Flesch-Kincaid readabilty test</span></em></a><em><span data-contrast="none"> is one of the most popular. It creates a score based on </span></em> <em><span data-contrast="none">the number of words per sentence and on the number of syllables per word — i.e. long words and sentence are harder to read. It then converts this score to a grade level. Note that this </span></em> <em><span data-contrast="none">result has nothing to do with the content of the sentences analyzed. It is solely based on the length of words/sentences.</span></em><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><em><span data-contrast="none">Using this method, we see that MSNBC has the highest grade level making it the hardest to read. This is likely because MSNBC ‘stories’ are just descriptions of the news videos on the site. They are designed to be descriptive, not necessarily readable. All other sites contain proper articles, even network news sites like CNN and FoxNews.</span></em><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><em><span data-contrast="none">At the opposite end of the spectrum, BBC news articles can be read comfortably, requiring only a 10th grade education. This is likely because most BBC stories are short and informative (with fewer meandering editorials).”</span></em><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-ccp-props="{"><span class="TextRun SCXW159690039 BCX4" lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW159690039 BCX4">Now we know the author’s analysis of the readability of each news organization was based on the length of words and sentences used in each story, not on the content of the sentences. Based on this analysis, the BBC’s stories are less structurally complex and require only a 10th grade reading level, while the MSNBC stories require a grade 13-14 reading level. Further reading in the original source reveals that the author ran several other readability analyses which resulted in news outlets swapping spots on the graph.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW159690039 BCX4" data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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<h3>Make an informed decision </h3>
<p><span data-contrast="none">Now that we know more about the graph and how the information represented in it was developed, we can make a decision about whether or not it was portrayed accurately in the news story we read. Remember, in our hypothetical news story, this graph was used as evidence to support the claim that MSNBC produces the most readable news stories. So, is this claim accurate?</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">The answer is no, not really. There might be other readability analyses that rank MSNBC as the most readable, but this chart shouldn’t be interpreted in that way. In this case, we can determine that our hypothetical news story is using data out of context to support its claims.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
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<h3>How to determine if a news organization is trustworthy? </h3>
<p><span data-contrast="none">Since we’ve determined that our news story used this chart incorrectly, the next logical question we might ask ourselves is, “Can we trust this news outlet at all?” Did they knowingly use this data out of context or was it an honest misinterpretation error? That is a more difficult question to answer, but fortunately, there are tools in place to help you make a determination. </span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">The </span><a href="https://newslit.org/" target="_blank" data-mce-href="https://newslit.org/"><span data-contrast="none">News Literacy Project</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> is an organization that produces tools for educators and K-16+ students to help build news literacy. They’ve produced the following <a data-mce-href="https://newslit.org/educators/resources/is-it-legit/" href="https://newslit.org/educators/resources/is-it-legit/" target="_blank" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">infographic</a> to be used as a guide for vetting a news source. Remember that this infographic represents just one set of strategies produced by one organization, so you should think about and seek out other strategies for determining trustworthiness. Can you think of any strategies you use to vet news sources?</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="/contentassets/b33c6a9df52442a7b8d3c87af73aa817/s23-fine-print/isitlegit_infographic.jpg/Large" alt="" />
<figcaption>"Is it legit? Five steps for vetting a news source" infographic from News Literacy Project.</figcaption>
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<img loading="lazy" src="/contentassets/b33c6a9df52442a7b8d3c87af73aa817/use-this-one.png/Medium" alt="Graphic depicting the struggle to determine if something is fact or fake news" />
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<span class="title">True or False</span>
<span class="date"><span class="label">Posted </span><span data-part="time">9 a.m.</span><span data-part="weekday"><span> </span>Wednesday</span><span data-part="month"><span>, </span>May</span><span data-part="day"><span> </span>3</span><span data-part="year"><span>, </span>2023</span></span>
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Determining the reliability of data in news sources
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</span>https://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/news/transformative-education-through-information-literacy/Transformative Education Through Information Literacy2022-05-06T12:29:42.18Z2022-05-05T06:30:00ZMarc Mankehttps://uwlax.edu/profile/mmanke/mmanke@uwlax.edu
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<p class="date"><span class="label">Posted </span><span data-part="time">6:30 a.m.</span><span data-part="weekday"><span> </span>Thursday</span><span data-part="month"><span>, </span>May</span><span data-part="day"><span> </span>5</span><span data-part="year"><span>, </span>2022</span></p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="/contentassets/b33c6a9df52442a7b8d3c87af73aa817/murphy_blogheader_liz-012.png/Large" alt="" />
<figcaption>Liz Humrickhouse, Teaching & Learning Librarian</figcaption>
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<h3>Upcoming book chapter discusses the inherently transformative nature of information literacy for students</h3>
<p><span data-contrast="none"><span class="TextRun SCXW31310440 BCX0" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW31310440 BCX0">By </span></span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW31310440 BCX0" href="https://www.uwlax.edu/profile/ehumrickhouse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-mce-href="/profile/ehumrickhouse/"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW31310440 BCX0" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW31310440 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Liz </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW31310440 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Humrickhouse</span></span></a><span class="EOP SCXW31310440 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">One of the pillars of </span><a href="/info/strategic-plan/" data-mce-href="/info/strategic-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-contrast="none">UW-La Crosse’s strategic plan</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> is transformative education through the use of high impact practices (HIPs). Recently, UWL’s </span><a href="http://catalog.uwlax.edu/undergraduate/generaleducation/" data-mce-href="http://catalog.uwlax.edu/undergraduate/generaleducation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-contrast="none">General Education Program</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> has integrated HIPs in the form of common learning experiences and other transformative practices as part of a&nbsp;proposed general education revision. In response to the revision process, an information literacy taskforce was formed to propose a program to better integrate information literacy instruction into the General Education Program. That proposal led to a deeper investigation into the connections between information literacy, transformative learning and general education, which developed into the upcoming chapter by <a data-mce-href="/profile/ehumrickhouse/" href="/profile/ehumrickhouse/" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liz Humrickhouse</a>, </span><em><span data-contrast="none">Integrating Information Literacy into the General Education Curriculum: Developing self-actualized and critical students through a process of transformative learning</span></em><span data-contrast="none"> published in "</span><span data-contrast="none">Instructional Identities and Information Literacy: Transforming Our Programs, Institutions, and Profession"</span><span data-contrast="none"> (ACRL).</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">The chapter discusses the inherently transformative nature of information literacy and situates it as a disciplinary approach to Mezirow’s transformative learning theory in which “disorienting dilemmas” are catalysts for personal growth. Within the context of higher education, a general education program rooted in transformative learning creates a safe space in which learners can think critically, experience discomfort and begin the transformative process.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">Those interested in learning more can look for the book, which is anticipated to be published later this year.</span><span data-ccp-props="{">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
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<img loading="lazy" src="/contentassets/b33c6a9df52442a7b8d3c87af73aa817/murphy_blogheader_liz-012.png/Medium" alt="Liz Humrickhouse, Teaching & Learning Librarian" />
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<span class="title">Transformative Education Through Information Literacy</span>
<span class="date"><span class="label">Posted </span><span data-part="time">6:30 a.m.</span><span data-part="weekday"><span> </span>Thursday</span><span data-part="month"><span>, </span>May</span><span data-part="day"><span> </span>5</span><span data-part="year"><span>, </span>2022</span></span>
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Upcoming book chapter discusses the inherently transformative nature of information literacy for students
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<span class="read">Read<span class="sr-only"> more about Transformative Education Through Information Literacy</span></span>
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