The flat Earth theory is a widespread scientific myth that has been disproven by scientific evidence, yet it still has a significant number of followers who refuse to accept the Earth's spherical shape.

The modern flat Earth movement is a growing phenomenon, with a significant number of followers who present arguments and evidence for their claims, but their theories are easily disproven by scientific evidence.

Some public figures, such as NFL players Kyrie Irving, Darius Slay, Sammy Watkins, and Patrick Queen, have publicly expressed their belief in the flat Earth theory.

The flat Earth movement is characterized by fanaticism, missionary work, and a sense of superiority among its followers, who often refuse to think logically or rationally and deny evidence that contradicts their beliefs.

The internet and social media have contributed to the spread of the flat Earth theory, making it easier for people to access and engage with misinformation.

Parents can play a crucial role in helping their teenagers evaluate online information, identify credible sources, and develop a healthy skepticism towards unverified claims.

Associating with flat Earth believers may expose a teenager to misinformation and conspiracy theories that can be harmful to their critical thinking and understanding of the world.

Parents can mitigate these risks by encouraging critical thinking, providing accurate information, and promoting media literacy skills in their teenagers.

Education is essential in helping children develop critical thinking skills to judge whether information is true or false, and collective action is necessary to protect children from the harm of misinformation.

The UK government has awarded over £1 million in funding to 17 organizations to improve media literacy among vulnerable groups, including the elderly and disabled, which can also help protect teenagers from misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas like the flat Earth theory.

Parents can use strategies such as encouraging critical evaluation of online sources, promoting media literacy education, and engaging in open discussions about online safety and disinformation to promote critical thinking and media literacy in their teenagers.

Critical thinking in children is formed from childhood, with the basic attitudes and values laid down in the family, and parents should create an atmosphere that encourages discussion and debate.

The criteria for reliability of information, such as the source and expertise of the information, should be taught to children to help them evaluate information effectively and avoid misinformation.

Parents should pay attention to their teenage children's online activities to protect them from the negative effects of social media, and limiting time spent on social media can be an option to buffer deleterious effects.

Establishing strict rules and boundaries, such as deleting social media apps from the phone or blocking social media apps during certain times of the day, can help teens use social media responsibly and reduce the risk of encountering misinformation.

The promotion of critical thinking and media literacy is essential in addressing the issue of misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas, such as the flat Earth theory.

Education and schools can play a significant role in promoting critical thinking and media literacy by incorporating professional education courses into high school curricula.

Parents and educators can work together to address the issue of misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas by promoting media literacy and critical thinking skills in students.

Media literacy is considered key to combating misinformation and disinformation, and it can provide a human-rights-compliant approach to addressing issues of misinformation and disinformation.

The inclusion of media literacy in school curricula can lead to state involvement in administering and evaluating progress as a national responsibility.

Critical thinking is an essential component of media literacy, enabling individuals to evaluate information effectively.

The lack of education about technology leads some people to believe that 'if it's on the Internet, it must be true'.

Only around half of 15-year-olds in OECD countries are able to tell facts from opinions.

Disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories have gained ground in recent years, and the main reason fake news goes viral is a lack of critical thinking.

Social media is the favorite channel for spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation, and social media moderation is often inadequate or non-existent.

A bill has been pre-filed in the Missouri House of Representatives to create a pilot program aimed at helping K-12 students be more resilient to misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories.

The proposed program, called the 'Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act', aims to develop strategies for improving students' ability to think critically and process incoming information from various sources.

Building healthy skepticism and understanding one's own bias and that of others is a key goal of the proposed program.

Understanding how news sources verify information can help consumers know which sources to trust.

The rapid spread of disinformation is a significant issue in the digital age, exacerbated by social media platforms, algorithmic amplification, and lack of media literacy.

Disinformation can have severe impacts on politics, society, and the economy, including eroding trust, fueling polarization, and causing financial losses.

Enhancing media literacy education is a crucial step in combating disinformation, as it equips individuals with critical thinking skills to evaluate information sources and discern credible information from falsehoods.

The flat Earth theory is a widespread scientific myth that has been disproven by scientific evidence, yet it still has a significant number of followers who refuse to accept the Earth's spherical shape.

Title:

Content: “Everyone Gets Hit in the Head”: Travis and Jason Kelce Boldly Claim 20% NFL Players Are Flat-Earthers

Samnur Reza
Published

Eight-time NBA All-Star and Mavericks point guard, Kyrie Irving, has time and time again claimed that the earth is flat. Sadly, this belief is widely held around the globe. When discussing the same and if there are NFL players who also call themselves flat-earthers behind closed doors, Jason Kelce and his brother Travis boldly claimed that a good chunk of the NFL locker room actually believes the earth to be flat.

During a recent episode of the New Heights podcast with comedian Andrew Santino at the discussion table, the younger Kelce said, “We’ve mentioned on the show that conspiracy theories help bring NFL locker rooms together,” before asking the guest, “What are your conspiracy theories?”

Without skipping a beat, Santino posed the question about what percentage of NFL players actually believe in the Flat Earth theory. In response, Travis claimed that at least 10 to 15 athletes in every locker room are flat-earthers. Jason Kelce, however, added that if someone were to conduct an anonymous poll about it, the number of flat-earth believers could potentially jump up to 20%, equating to approximately 11 players out of a 53-man roster.

“Dude, honestly, there are at least 10 to 15 guys in every locker room; I would imagine,” Travis remarked, followed by Jason adding, “If you took an anonymous poll like nobody had to disclose their name or anything like that, you’re over 15% of an NFL locker room… Maybe over 20.”

This revelation baffled the Ricky Stanicky actor, but Travis consoled him by jokingly saying, “Dude, everyone gets hit in the head.” Nevertheless, while the Kelce duo’s numbers may be somewhat exaggerated, there have been some instances when NFL players have openly admitted believing in the earth being flat.

Darius Slay, Sammy Watkins, and Others Are Flat-Earthers

As per Sports Illustrated, free agent wide receiver Sammy Watkins claimed back in 2017 that the earth is flat. But he isn’t the only NFL athlete on that list, as Eagles CB Darius Slay told Tori Petry of DetroitLions.com back in 2018 that the earth is flat.

“I mean, I think it is (flat), we’re walking flat, so how is it round?,” claimed the All-Pro cornerback.

Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen followed suit just last year and claimed the same thing. “PSA,” Queen wrote in a tweet. “Earth is flat. Thank you. Carry on!!”

The list goes on! Former Texas Tech safety, Tyler Owens, apparently told reporters at the Scouting Combine that he doesn’t believe in space or any other planets. Thus, he finds the Flat Earth Theory ‘interesting’ and ‘valid’.

“Nah, I don’t believe in space…. like, you know, I’m religious, so I think like… we’re on our own right now. I don’t think there’s, like, other planets, and stuff like that. I don’t know,” Owens said, as per DailyMail.

Even Seahawks QB Geno Smith has claimed that the whole thing is still up for debate. Moreover, Jason Kelce once revealed that, out of curiosity, he had asked one of his coaches about the Flat Earth Theory and if anyone believed in it. Right there and then, an athlete nearby said, “I mean how you know it isn’t?”

Despite its absurdity, the debate will rage on till the end of time, it seems. However, there are simple experiments that can be conducted in front of a flat-earther to convince them otherwise, as perfectly demonstrated by Wired.

About the author

Samnur Reza

Samnur Reza, or "Rocky," is an NFL editor for the SportsRush. Although his love for football began with Tom Brady, he’s now a devoted fan of Jalen Hurts and is keeping his fingers crossed for the first ring. When asked how he remains loyal to the Eagles, he channels his inner Jim from The Office and responds, 'On a wing and a prayer.' Much like his love for football, Rocky is a dedicated cinephile with an impressive amount of screen time. He’s also fond of cats and has a furry friend named ‘Eva’.

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Letter: Critical thoughts on critical thinking

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Sometimes I think it would be lovely to not have to think, not to have to ponder difficult questions about life, faith and public policy. Those thoughts don’t last long. The ability to think and draw conclusions based on reason are things that separate us and make us superior to other species.

We’ve created institutions of higher learning that don't seek to indoctrinate us but to teach us to think critically. I understand that’s a problem for some conservatives who seem to be satisfied with biased conservative media outlets doing their thinking about public policies for them. The problem is that so much of what those outlets report is nothing more than sophomoric, fear-mongering propaganda.

Neither Charles Herbster nor Jim Pillen seem to believe Nebraskans are capable of thinking critically — otherwise, they wouldn’t be so afraid of critical race theory, which neither seems to understand.

Theories are just that — theories. They aren’t conclusions or even written in stone. People can embrace them, reject them or modify them. Theories are neither scary nor dangerous unless one fears critical thinking.

Remember that Galileo was tried and convicted by the church for supporting Copernicus’ theory that the Earth is round, spins daily, and rotates annually around the sun. Some folks so troubled by critical race theory probably still think that the Earth is flat.

Chuck Bentjen, Beatrice

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Title:

Content:     People Are Sharing Debunked Conspiracy Theories That People Believe Anyway, And I Kind Of Can't Believe Some Of These

    "Not only is the entire conspiracy surrounding it completely implausible, it's also so easily defeated. It's just random garbage with a thousand predictions that haven't come true. Just give it up already. Even most doomsday cults give up after four or five faulty predictions."

    Sometimes you hear someone repeat a conspiracy theory that is obviously total nonsense — and it makes you say to yourself, "People still believe that?"

    Redditor u/Gaza1121 recently asked the people of Reddit, "What conspiracy theory is so easily disproven that you don't understand how it's still going?" At the very least, these answers might help people get a clue about a thing or two:

    1. "Flat earth."

    —u/Vivid_Reading_2159

    "I’ve truly never understood what the big conspiracy is about this — who would benefit from lying about the earth being a globe? I understand most other conspiracies and what the purpose that they would serve, but this one is so moronic it’s just beyond me. Why do they think we would be lied to about gravity?"

    —u/PM_ME_YOUR_SUBURBS

    2. "Elvis faked his death. If he was going to do that, wouldn’t he have chosen a more dignified way to go?"

    —u/jb40018

    3. "Dinosaurs never existed."

    —u/Outrageous_Winner663

    4. "That JFK, Jr. didn’t die and was going to come out of hiding to be Trump’s VP."

    —u/jwt0001

    5. "That the Holocaust was a hoax."

    —u/Left-Star2240

    "Eisenhower demanded they photograph and document it because he knew people would try to deny it happened. 'While I was touring the camp I encountered three men who had been inmates and by one ruse or another had made their escape. I interviewed them through an interpreter. The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty, and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick. In one room, where [there] were piled up 20 or 30 naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said he would get sick if he did so. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'"

    —u/bostonwolf

    6. "The moon landing. The entity with the most at stake for the US successfully landing on the moon was the USSR, who also had the ability to track the spacecraft and refute that it landed. They never said a word."

    —u/314159265358979326

    7. "Vaccines cause autism."

    —u/llcucf80

    8. "That the grieving families of children shot in American schools are 'crisis actors.'"

    —u/InverseRatio

    9. "Today I discovered that there's large groups who believe that 9/11 was CGI and there never really were any planes. Hundreds of people in an Instagram post talking about how fake it looks and it's clearly edited. Then I realized anyone under the age of 22 weren't alive for it — and if they're under 25 and they don't remember it, and any teenagers from outside of the tri-state area might not even know anyone who was there."

    —u/Stonewall30nyr

    10. "Obama birtherism. A lot of other bonkers insane conspiracy theories are more insane in a 'supernatural insanity' sense, but they're also so far out there that you can barely apply common sense to them. What would motivate the lizard people? Who knows? They're lizard people! Whereas, let's see, a not-particularly-well-off woman living in Hawaii is pregnant — and the powers that be are somehow aware that her biracial child is someday in the future going to want to run for president."

    —u/Alex_Werner

    11. "Cancer has been cured and big pharma is sitting on it because it is more profitable not to cure cancer. The first problem with this is that there are multiple types of cancer. So there can't be a one size fits all cancer cure. Second is that a cancer cure would be exceedingly profitable for whatever company created it."

    —u/Thick-Worry5028

    12. "QAnon. I mean, they made a fucking documentary series about it and outed its creators. Not only is the entire conspiracy surrounding it completely implausible, it's also so easily defeated. It's just random garbage with a thousand predictions that haven't come true. Just give it up already. Even most doomsday cults give up after four or five faulty predictions."

    —u/Noobeaterz

    13. "Chemtrails."

    —u/you-are-number-6Q

    "I met someone who was into chemtrails — they thought everything was lithium poisoning and that the colors of the sunset was lithium in the atmosphere. They had a good hot dog stand, though."

    —u/SuspiciousStable9649

    14. "Jet fuel is a hoax and airliners run on compressed air."

    —u/Amberskin

    15. "The earth is five thousand years old."

    —u/cblume

    16. "The 2020 election was stolen."

    —u/prodigy1367

    17. "One I see sometimes as a math major, is that 0.999...does not equal 1 in the Real numbers. There are some math quacks out there who adamantly insist, no matter how you prove it to them otherwise, that 0.999...and 1 aren't just two ways of writing the same number."

    —u/bodyknock

    18. "Charles de Gaulle was King Charles's biological father."

    —u/joecoin2

    19. "The Titanic switch. I still have a hard time understanding how there are people that genuinely believe that shit."

    —u/daviepancakes

    And finally...

    20. "The republican party is fiscally conservative and believes in small government."

    —u/Psychogopher

Title:

Content: Taiwan has been the champion of "false information" for nine consecutive years. Children are the main target. Is critical media literacy education the solution?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
What we want you to know is
Research shows that children often start believing unproven conspiracy theories at the age of 14, and more than 80% of middle school students mistake “sponsored ads ” for“ news stories. ”
But what exactly should the media literacy curriculum teach?
At present, there are still divergent views......
Text: Yu-An Lai
According to the 2021 V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) report by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, Taiwan has been the champion of “false information ” for nine consecutive years, making it the most frequently attacked country in the world by false information.
The government of Taiwan will invest 11.7 billion yuan in 2023, aiming to enable primary and secondary schools across the country to comprehensively promote digital improvement projects, so as to achieve "class has the Internet, there is a tablet", this policy is aimed at strengthening students' ability to use digital technology, but if children use it inappropriately, it will be counterproductive.
In the pursuit of the popularization of the Internet and the teaching of digital technology, we also have to think about how to teach children to distinguish between trustworthy news information and news when the huge amount of fake information on the Internet is overwhelming.
The younger you are, the more likely you are to be a primary target of false information.
Science magazine Scientific American reports that children are the primary targets of disinformation disseminators.
According to a 2019 study by the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, children usually start believing unproven conspiracy theories at the age of 14, and many contemporary teenagers have difficulty judging the credibility of online messages.
Researchers at Stanford University also found in a 2016 study that more than 80 percent of middle school students misidentified “sponsored ads ” as“ news stories. ”
Fake messages are often delivered to young internet users, directing them to misleading content.
A 2018 Wall Street Journal survey also found that YouTube ’ s algorithms push personalized recommendations for different users, but they tend to recommend videos that are more extreme and far-fetched than what users originally watched.
For example, when researchers search for “eclipse ” as a keyword, they are directed to a video whose main theme is to imply that the Earth is flat.
YouTube is one of the most popular social media sites for young people, and for such extreme algorithms, Zeynep Tufekci, assistant professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, called it “one of the most powerful radical tools of the 21st century. ”
The influence of false information and false information cannot be ignored.
In response to the spread of false information, UNICEF provides the following 10 insights and recommendations
1.
Misinformation and disinformation on the Internet is an urgent public issue.
The power of fake information must not be underestimated. For children who are now active on the Internet, fake information is an important part of their daily lives.
Fake messages on social media are often more powerful, farther, faster, and deeper than the right messages, especially when the issues involve divisive, highly controversial, and highly emotional topics, such as immigration, gender politics and equality, and vaccination are hot topics.
2.
The impact and consequences of errors and false information on the real world
Misinformation and misinformation have been used to incite violence and crime against ethnic minorities (which can lead to the death and displacement of children), while misinformation and misinformation have reduced vaccination rates for children with Covid-19, undermined trust in news and science, and drowned out marginalized voices.
3.
Algorithms play a more critical role, even though misinformation and misinformation are often transmitted through people
Algorithms deliver personalized messages and news stories through users ’ digital footprints, but sometimes they can also recommend content that is inaccurate, misleading, sensational, and conspiracy theories.
Therefore, we can say that the algorithm may be a key carrier for amplifying the spread of false information.
4.
Children are vulnerable to errors and false information
Because children are in a developing stage, they do not yet have the ability to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information.
Not only will they be harmed by errors and misinformation, they may also continue to pass on the wrong information to their peers.
For younger children who do not use social media, they may also be exposed to false or false information through their parents, caregivers, or classmates.
5.
Still, children can challenge and debunk mistakes and misinformation
Now that they have become the primary targets and targets of misinformation, children can still actively fight them.
Children can contribute to fact-checking and deification efforts, such as the Covid-19 pandemic misinformation for Nepal.
The UNICEF Mission in Montenegro ’ s “Let ’ s decide what we want to watch ” programme provides young people with the opportunity to train in media literacy and journalistic skills to improve the quality of reporting on children ’ s rights.
6.
Education is especially important.
In order to help children to judge whether information is true or false, they should develop the ability to read and think critically from an early age.
Make sure that children have critical thinking skills, not only online, but also offline, in everyday life.
7.
It is necessary to take collective action to protect children.
Politicians, civil society organizations, technology companies, parents, and educators must all work together to avoid the harm that misinformation and misinformation can do to children.
There is no reliable data and research on how to slow down the spread of false and false information.
8.
Policymakers should develop norms of misinformation and misinformation based on children ’ s rights
UNICEF recommends that policy makers develop regulations for children to protect them from the effects of error and false information, while ensuring that they can access content safely.
Regulation should be based on the classification of content and ensure transparency and accountability.
This is a very significant policy challenge between the protection of rights on the Internet and speech.
9.
Tech companies can help combat errors and misinformation
UNICEF recommends that tech companies actually implement their declared policies and invest more in people and technology.
Tech companies should publish how they deal with fake messages on their platforms and prioritize the idea of meaningful connections and children ’ s diversity in digital system design.
Guess you like it.
Tags:

The modern flat Earth movement is a growing phenomenon, with a significant number of followers who present arguments and evidence for their claims, but their theories are easily disproven by scientific evidence.

Some public figures, such as NFL players Kyrie Irving, Darius Slay, Sammy Watkins, and Patrick Queen, have publicly expressed their belief in the flat Earth theory.

What NBA star claimed that the earth is flat?

The flat Earth movement is characterized by fanaticism, missionary work, and a sense of superiority among its followers, who often refuse to think logically or rationally and deny evidence that contradicts their beliefs.

Title:

Content: "The Lost Earth Truth 1": The level of the earth seems to be the "gold rush" of our time.
Photo Credit: iStock
What we want you to know is
Through the multi-dimensional advanced high-tech "heterogeneous meta-helmet", scientists learned that the earth is full of four-dimensional entrances, the third dimension of the material plane and the fourth dimension of the etheric plane are originally "twins".
Written by Radu Cinama
Tiping said it was the "gold rush" of this era.
Based on a reference to the House of the Cabal, which hides the door to multidimensional interaction, I found an informative note that I had never seen before, floating among dozens of notes on my desk.
In general, I prefer to work in electronic form or wait for notes or files in digital format, but given my particular interest in the Dimension Portal, I decided to check everything on my desk, including the latest events.
I do not know the reasons and methods, but the information I found was ignored.
After reviewing notes and data summaries, I discovered an event called “Ground Floor – References ”, a“ movement ” that I ’ ve heard has made waves among people, but I never thought it would become a theme for our department.
The illusion of this idea is obvious, especially for those who have good judgment and personal experience of our planet from the perspective of outer space.
I was a bit confused and didn ’ t know if I should read a few pages of summaries about the ground floor.
I went to Lieutenant Nikola and asked him about it.
He told me that the information came from the operations department of another SRI division, an acronym for the Romanian Intelligence Agency, which has the status of a second level notice.
The lieutenant made it clear that the only reason this information reached our department was because it triggered an abnormal "phenomenon" in the world, but in our country, the number of "followers" is relatively small and the proportion is reasonable, and the level seems to be the "gold rush" of our time. It makes you speechless, even in a state of “shock. ”
I can understand that the paranoia and other obscure interests of hundreds of years ago amplify the lack of knowledge, which may occupy the minds of a relatively small number of people, but it is unreasonable to allow it to develop to the level of the international movement of the 21st century.
From a heavenly point of view, I wonder if human stupidity can rise above that level, but I don ’ t quite believe in that prospect.
However, even the most bizarre phenomena must be taken into account, at least taking into account the crowd and their opinions, which is one of the Secret Service's tasks.
I did read the summary, which revealed the main points of the problem very clearly, but did not give any conclusions.
Severe retrogression into the Middle Ages
On the same night, I took advantage of Cesar ’ s free time and shared the ground level problem with him, more as a social case than a research direction.
Cesar laughed loudly, talked about the topic for a while, and then suddenly turned to some very interesting questions.
He told me that three or four years ago, the issue was introduced to him and discussed with other colleagues in the intelligence department because there were signs that the idea was trending toward a consensus.
Out of respect for readers, I don ’ t usually include such a discussion in my series.
It requires only a little wisdom and minimal scientific training to understand, and arguments in support of this theory are tantamount to ignorance and fanaticism.
Beyond this, however, Cesar reveals some psychological cues that seem to be of some importance to general knowledge and social experience.
When discussing topping with Cesar, the first point involves a large number of followers.
“The mechanism for this strange theory of increased follower numbers is related to human isolation, ” says Cesar.
“It ’ s as if the population is divided into two distinct categories, but this separation is actually based on each person ’ s level of consciousness, which is directly related to their vibration frequency. ”
“But, ” I replied,“ I don ’ t know what caused this outbreak, and more and more people are insisting on these ‘ arguments ’ without meaning. ”
It's more like a stupid virus. "
“This major shift in thinking patterns is not at the same wavelength as what is commonly understood in the world today.
In other words, such new ideas have nothing to do with the knowledge of our time.
This is an effective method, because the earth is flat, and the idea is strongly supported by mystical factors, as well as by those who are keen to see things stagnant and not progressing.
This is the best way to control it: take people away from reality, let them dream nonsense, support their fantasies, and encourage them to project.
Therefore, it is controlled by imposing on the masses what they want.
Followers of earth thought, firmly believing in it, will seek to meet others, gather, and even separate themselves from others, because they will see others as fools deceived by lies.
In other words, they will be convinced that they are the ones who “discovered ” the truth. While it is sad to hear the news, unfortunately, the situation is quite real. ”
“Although I have this report under my nose, I can ’ t believe it has reached this point.
I feel like this is an ugly dream, as if some people in the world have voluntarily gone back hundreds of years.
That's how I feel.
Incredibly, people ’ s minds today are still influenced by delusions that defy not only decent intelligence but also scientific reasoning, making everything frenzied.
Look at the results! ”
I showed Cesar ’ s estimated numbers and charts.
"I know.
We've talked to other colleagues, "he said.
“Your surprise is evidenced by the huge difference in conceptualization and vibration frequency that people are beginning to feel.
This is a reality that has become increasingly prominent over time and cannot be ignored.
This is part of the isolation I told you about.
In principle, people interact with those who are evolving and those who prefer to stay in purely physical, crude or involuntary groups.
Those in the first category perfect themselves, recognize the changes that are taking place on Earth, and experience certain emotional states and specific sensations.
That ’ s why it ’ s incredible for some people to think about problems in a medieval way, such as followers of the Earth Theory. ”
Cesar saw the astonishment on my face and hurried to prove what he said again.
“Yes, I ’ m not exaggerating.
This is a return to the Middle Ages, because these people cannot evolve; instead, they return to a more archaic state of consciousness, closer to their true level of consciousness. ”
“Why can ’ t they evolve? ” I asked in surprise.
Of course, I know the answer, but it ’ s always a pleasure to capture Cesar ’ s explanation.
In addition, there is always a new element that can enrich my knowledge.
“Because the current state of things they attract has nothing to do with the higher vibrations of the Earth, this feature is becoming more and more apparent. ”
“For the followers of the Earth Plane, their consolation lies in the frenzy of these primitive ideas, which are maintained as free spirits and ideas are blocked.
The same was true during the Inquisition: a set of foolish and erroneous ideas was raised into law, and any violation of those ideas was enforced. ”
When I think about it all, I hope I ’ m wrong.
“Are we back in the Middle Ages? History has set off a wave of extreme ideas.
Ancient people already knew that the earth was round, but the situation deteriorated in the Middle Ages, when there was a revival of modern science, but was this only to take us back to the Middle Ages now? ” (The author undoubtedly refers to the knowledge shared by Pythagoras and Aristotle, who both asserted that the earth is round, and the argument made by Eratonius in ancient Alexandria.)
Cesar calmly replied, “We don ’ t; but for the part that has degraded, yes. ”
Several factors contributed to this.
Followers of the Earth ’ s theory are indignant at their opinionated views, their refusal to think logically or rationally on the basis of real arguments and evidence, their denial of evidence, and their deceitful defense of their position.
In general, this is a kind of missionary covering up fanaticism.
The psychological factor of the earth level, the mind pulls people's distance
We note that whenever fanaticism prevails, society is confronted with a lack of insight and the limitations of personal freedom.
Cesar gave me an example that better explains how this dilemma can be achieved in the context of a relatively developed civilization.
"This phenomenon is the same as in quantum physics.
If there is enough energy, the electrons can jump into higher orbits.
If there is not enough energy, it can be kept at a slightly higher level and relatively stable; but at some point, the remaining energy will be released in the form of photons, and the electron will return to the orbit where it was originally found, back to where it started.
In quantum physics, this is the basic orbit of electrons.
In other words, electrons with these characteristics will return to the level where they have a safe orbit. ” I interjected, clinging to the subject.
“I know that throughout human history, the idea that the earth is flat has long existed in some religions.
Modern astronomy has developed extensively since then.
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have only been discovered for about two hundred years.
In this sense, the ground floor is actually not very old, its memory is still fresh.
Perhaps that is why some humans return to the state they once knew. "
“This is another factor, ” Cesar acknowledged,“ in any case, human society is changing from ‘ possessiveness ’ to ‘ feeling ’, that sense of possession, egoism, competition, and violence tends to be gradually replaced by pure and positive emotions and feelings, which are fundamental to love, altruism, and compassion. ”
I have some doubts.
“It ’ s hard to believe, because almost all of us are seeing the spread of these negative manifestations. ”
“At first glance, it might be so.
Remember, however, that most people on Earth are uneducated, and they ‘ resort ’ to this illusion of competition, money, commerce, and lack of spirituality.
A large number of people who are addicted to this dream, tend to oppose those who are guided only by spiritual values and seek a pure life with a clear meaning, and have achieved a balance at this point.
This is what we call isolation. "
In fact, what Cesar wanted to say is that everyone is invited to participate in the great spiritual transformation of humanity and our planet, with the desire and dignity to demand that his life be the germ of light, spirituality and hope that we can enter a bright future.
This is an excellent ideal, but so far too few people have followed this ideal.
Book Introduction
This excerpt is from The Lost Earth Truth 1: The Hidden History of Holographic Time Travel, published by Daxi Culture.
Written by Radu Cinamar
Translated by: Sandra
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Radu Cinamar became famous after revealing an unprecedented and mysterious collaboration between the US and Romanian militaries.
American and Romanian troops have made an expedition under the Romanian Sphinx in the Bucegi Mountains and discovered the greatest archaeological discovery of all time: a mysterious chamber about 50,000 years old, containing a holographic record of human history of the Earth, biological resonance imaging technology, and three mysterious tunnels that lead to secrets deep in the heart of the earth.
Despite the political intrigue, confusion, and restrictions surrounding this great discovery, the expedition leader allowed Radu Sinamar to visit and explore the artifacts.
Since then, Radu ’ s life has been a labyrinthine adventure, filled with strange events, secret connections, and unusual people and things.
This book delves into ancient history in an unprecedented way, through the interaction of advanced technology ’ s “heterogeneous helmets ” with the author ’ s cerebral cortex and intuition, presenting more than 70 stunning images of the scene, the result of which is holographic projection, explaining and illustrating the DNA changes that took place over thousands of years and how humans evolved into what they are today.
Reveals the mystery of how multiple alien civilizations influenced and guided human DNA to evolve to a higher level.
Some of the hot spots in human history, which in the past either remained unknown or were only considered from a mythological point of view, include: Atlantis, Troy, Shambhala, and Huppelburia.
Disrupting the myths of the past, this book provides rich and accurate communications from the actual scene of holographic technology, combining esoteric knowledge and some scientific factors.
Special emphasis is placed on the "intersection" between the physical dimension and the etheric dimension and on the cracks or entrances between the dimensions.
In addition to revealing the ancient history of mankind, this fascinating work also describes a time out to see the origins of humanity and its hope for the future.
Book Features
Time-lapse decoding! The beginning of important human change
Through the multi-dimensional advanced high-tech "heterogeneous meta-helmet", scientists learned that the earth is full of four-dimensional entrances, the third dimension of the material plane and the fourth dimension of the etheric plane are originally "twins".
And you can see the "cosmic record" in the holographic image!
You can also overlook the cross-section of the earth, covering the deep human genetic technology and high-dimensional cosmic civilization, and no book in its amazing history has been exposed so far!
Editor-in-Chief: Weng Shihang
Editor-in-chief: Bohan Pan
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How do flat Earthers perceive themselves?

They believe they know a lot, though their knowledge is minimal

The internet and social media have contributed to the spread of the flat Earth theory, making it easier for people to access and engage with misinformation.

Title:

Content: We need to learn that if it's on the internet, it doesn't have to be true

Children use ChatGPT in school, February 2023 Copyright AP Photo/Euronews
By Yoan Blanc, Co-director, C'est vrai ça?
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

Investing in education and the development of critical thinking is more important than ever, as it will help to limit the risks of disinformation posed by the advent of technologies such as the internet and AI, Yoan Blanc writes.

In its new report on education and technology, published on 26 July 2023, UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report discusses the risks and opportunities that new technologies hold for the future of education.

The report points out that only around half of 15-year-olds in OECD countries are able to tell facts from opinions.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), more than ever, educators play a vital role in teaching the critical thinking and autonomy needed to navigate new technologies.

As we have observed in recent years, disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories have gained ground.

While it is worrying to see the often-morbid impact of fake news, we also need to consider how susceptible people are to these theories, and the lack of education about technology, which leads some people to think that “if it's on the Internet, it must be true”.

Pre-existing issues, a smouldering fire that just needed oxygen

A pre-existing situation has made it easier for people to buy into the idea.

Disinformation campaigns haven't enjoyed the success they have based solely on a particular set of circumstances.

The COVID-19 crisis merely acted as a catalyst, stoking a fire that had been smouldering for quite some time due to a number of factors that slowly came to light.

The media has become polarised in recent years, favouring ideology and punchlines over in-depth debates on social issues.

As the latest RSF report shows, freedom of the press is under threat in many countries, including those that were once regarded as democratic.

Public confidence in the press has rarely been so low, and the work of journalists is often denigrated, even though they are the foundation of a healthy democratic system.

The media has become polarised in recent years, favouring ideology and punchlines over in-depth debates on social issues.

The lack of digital literacy and critical thinking

It's hard to properly account for the surge in fake news. The general public has very little understanding of how social media work and sometimes takes falsely sourced or openly conspiracy-themed publications at face value.

Acquiring easily implemented methodological tools would undoubtedly help to avoid these pitfalls.

The main reason fake news goes viral is a lack of critical thinking. Part of the population doesn't know how to think critically and doesn't analyse the information they are given.

Social media is the favourite channel for spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation.

There is also the question of social media moderation, which is at best inadequate, at worst non-existent, and essentially based on user reports, with the impending risk of a 'militia' effect.

It allows for swift and massive dissemination thanks to its sharing functions and algorithms that highlight the sort of “divisive” content that generates reactions (the more intense the emotion, the more viral the information).

There is also the question of social media moderation, which is at best inadequate, at worst non-existent, and essentially based on user reports, with the impending risk of a "militia" effect.

The reports they make are processed by people who often don't speak French, leading to bizarre situations where overtly racist content can be allowed to remain online.

Worse still, as content deletion is sometimes based on the number of reports received, journalists' or fact-checkers' accounts or publications are regularly deleted or suspended as a result of massive reporting campaigns.

How can we fix this?

Citizens' initiatives that complement the work of the press need to take shape to counter fake news on social media.

Because while disinformation's main weapon is virality, it is still possible to mitigate the viral impact of a publication by reacting quickly to provide simple, accessible, and well-sourced explanations.

C’est vrai, ça?, for instance, has over twenty volunteers working on a citizens' initiative to check LinkedIn posts.

With an average of 10 fact-checking operations a day and 70,000 followers, they help prevent the spread of fake news or at least encourage critical thinking by providing sourced commentary.

This is where education comes in

To stem the tide of disinformation upstream, there is a solution that is both simple on paper and yet terribly difficult to implement in practice: education.

Training teachers to work with and use new technologies so that they can pass on critical thinking methods to their pupils, whether it be social media or content-generating artificial intelligence tools accessible to the general public (ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc.).

Whereas in the past, the challenge for the public was to gain access to the knowledge needed to contradict dogma, today, the challenge is to sort through the mass of information.

Here too, partnerships could be devised between schools and community associations to train students in the use of new technologies, to encourage them to question what they consult and to use the tools at their disposal to reflect rather than just consume.

The Internet and artificial intelligence are formidable instruments, providing access to information that was previously unavailable.

But like any other tool, they need to be properly mastered. Access to knowledge and education has always been a means of empowering people.

Whereas in the past, the challenge for the public was to gain access to the knowledge needed to contradict dogma, today, the challenge is to sort through the mass of information.

We have to invest in knowledge to solve this once and for all

Learning the basic techniques of OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) — how to detect texts or images generated by artificial intelligence or how to analyse a source of information — are all skills that are accessible from a very young age and help protect the human mind against manipulation.

Investing in education and the development of critical thinking is more important than ever, as it will help to limit the risks of disinformation posed by the advent of technologies such as the internet and AI.

To achieve this, we need genuine political commitment and enlightened governance to analyse the risks and work together to develop effective standards that protect us all from fake news.

Yoan Blanc is the co-director of C'est vrai ça?, an independent civic initiative that brings together private citizens who want to fight back against fake news.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

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Content: Missouri legislation aims to help kids practice critical thinking in K-12

Concerns over AI-generated media spur efforts to reinforce Missourian’s scrutiny of information
Published: Dec. 15, 2023 at 6:31 PM CST|Updated: 8 minutes ago

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (WGEM) - A bill pre-filed in the Missouri House of Representatives would create a new pilot program aimed at helping K-through-12 students be more resilient to misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories.

State Rep. Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis, is filed the bill as concerns grow about the spread of AI-generated media circulating online and with it, huge potential for confusion and chaos.

“Unfortunately, today, children are receiving so much information, and they receive it in so many different ways that we never had to deal with as adults,” Murphy said.

The media environment has dramatically expanded in the last three decades, beginning with the surge of cable TV in the late 1980s, continuing with the rise of the internet in the 1990s, and escalating with the adoption of social media in the 2000s.

“Artificial Intelligence is now going to be the challenge of the of the next generation,” Murphy predicted.

The “Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act,” if passed, would launch a program in select schools to develop strategies for how to improve student’s ability to think critically and process incoming information whatever the source.

Amy Simons, a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, said each person’s media consumption, if not proactively managed, can become exclusively managed by an algorithm, the top priority of which is usually to retain the user’s attention.

“The media landscape is both saturated, and it’s splintered,” Simons said. “So, we are increasingly, – because of the way that algorithms work and the ways sources of information are fed to us on our social media streams or through ads, – we are becoming more and more insular.”

The idea behind Murphy’s bill is to build a student’s natural, healthy skepticism of what they see and hear and understand their own bias and that of others.

It’s the same process employed by journalists in verifying their information.

“That’s something that really today we need to be training everybody to do,” Simons said. “That’s not just a skill journalists need.”

In October polls shows Americans have the lowest trust and confidence in news media ever.

Murphy said the more consumers understand about how their news sources verify information, the easier it will be for them to know which news sources to trust.

“We’re gonna have to make everybody a journalist in their own way, they have to learn how to how to verify what they’re seeing,” Murphy said.

Copyright 2023 WGEM. All rights reserved.

Title:

Content: Rapid Digitalization Comes With Many Issues, Including Lightning-Fast Spread Of Disinformation – OpEd

By and

The era of rapid technological advancement and digitalization has interconnected the world, enabling the swift dissemination of information across borders. However, this digital revolution has brought about the widespread proliferation of disinformation, the deliberate spread of false or misleading information to deceive or manipulate the public. Social media platforms, algorithmic amplification, lack of media literacy, and malicious actors contribute to this phenomenon.

Disinformation impacts politics, society, and the economy, eroding trust, fueling polarization, and causing financial losses. Solutions include enhancing media literacy education, promoting independent fact-checking, regulating digital platforms, launching digital literacy campaigns, and prioritizing ethical AI development. To effectively combat disinformation, a collaborative effort between government, tech companies, and individuals is necessary. The challenge lies in striking a balance between harnessing the benefits of digitalization and countering the risks posed by rampant misinformation.

In an era defined by unprecedented technological advancement and rapid digitalization, the world is more interconnected than ever before. Information flows freely across borders and oceans, shaping public opinion, influencing political landscapes, and molding societal narratives. However, as every light casts a shadow, alongside the many benefits of this so called “digital revolution”, various disadvantages have also emerged, the most prominent of which, serving as the dark ‘underbelly’ of modern digital age, is the lightning-fast spreading of disinformation.

The ubiquity of social media, the rise of algorithm-driven content distribution, and the lack of effective regulatory measures have paved the way for the rampant dissemination of false and misleading information throughout the world, but what exactly is disinformation? Before discussing the causes and impact of disinformation, we must first establish what disinformation is itself. Disinformation, often used interchangeably with misinformation, refers to the deliberate spread of false or misleading information with the intent to deceive or manipulate an audience or the general public.

While disinformation is not a new concept, the digital age has exponentially amplified its reach and impact. Historically, disinformation campaigns required significant resources and effort to disseminate through traditional media channels. Much of the disinformation used to be shot down or ‘fact-checked’ before it would take off. In contrast, the modern day communication technology (such as the Internet) provides fertile ground for malicious actors to spread falsehoods with unprecedented speed and efficiency to a significantly wider audience (internationally) with little or no fact-checking and verification being carried out.

There are many causes contributing to the unfiltered spread of misinformation, the most prominent being social media platforms. Social media platforms, once hailed as tools for global connectivity and communication, have become breeding grounds for disinformation. The rapid proliferation of content, coupled with algorithm-driven feeds designed to maximize user engagement, has created an ecosystem where sensational and false information often outperforms accurate news. The echo chambers formed on these platforms further exacerbate the problem, as users are exposed primarily to content that aligns with their existing beliefs (no matter how outlandish or distorted), reinforcing divisive narratives and further propagating their inaccurate beliefs, locking the users in a cycle of confirmation bias.

The most common victims of misinformation through social media are usually the elderly and aged people, who often take the information on these social media websites at face value and lack the means (or education) to be able to verify the authenticity of the information circulating on these websites. Another major culprit of reinforcing misinformation is algorithmic amplification. The algorithms employed by social media platforms and search engines play a pivotal role in shaping the information landscape. These algorithms, designed to prioritize content based on user preferences, inadvertently promote sensationalism and emotionally charged content.

As a result, misinformation and ‘click-bait’ content often garner more attention and engagement than well-researched, nuanced reporting. This algorithmic amplification contributes to the viral spread of disinformation, drowning out legitimate sources and undermining the public’s trust in credible information. A person is more likely to watch a 5 minute video with accentuating visual and audio content rather than read a 5 page research report on the same topic. These algorithms further make excellent (although equally malicious) use of cognitive bias among people (by providing them with content supporting the same topic/lies over and over again), as well as take advantage of the inherent confirmation bias.

Another major cause is the lack of adequate education regarding the internet and modern day digital technology, causing a crippling low rate of media literacy among the population. The digital age has ushered in an era of information abundance, but it has not necessarily equipped individuals with the critical thinking skills needed to navigate this deluge of data (A library is useless to a person who doesn’t know what to read and when). Media literacy, the ability to assess the credibility of sources and discern between accurate and false information, is crucial for combating disinformation.

Unfortunately, many individuals lack the necessary skills to evaluate information critically, making them susceptible to manipulation by malicious actors. The most common culprits of spreading misinformation (through times immemorial) are political andideological groups (who may or may not be state-sponsored), who intentionally spread misinformation to advance their agendas, sow discord, and/or manipulate public opinion through extensive use of propaganda, bias, and outright lies. In some cases, this misinformation aligns with preexisting beliefs of the target audience and victims, making it more likely to be accepted and shared by them. This may be done by political parties to garner public support (and get more votes), or may be done by external states to sow discord and unrest in the target country and create instability.

This escalation of misinformation and propaganda has various outreaching impacts on various aspects of our lives, socially, politically and economically. Politically, disinformation can be used to sway elections by making false accusations and allegations on opposing parties, accusing them of unethical or illegal activities (such as corruption) and throwing dirt on the general characters of political individuals so that the people will not give them their votes, giving rise to political strife and turmoil. Misinformation can also be used to erode trust in democratic institutions, and it can be used to fuel social unrest domestically by external actors to create an opportunity for exploitation. Socially, it can contribute to the polarization of society anddeepen divisions among groups of people based on ethnicity, race, caste or creed, and incite violence among the different groups of people, fueling instability and social unrest.

Economically, false information can lead to financial losses, impact stock markets, alter consumer behavior, and damage the reputation of businesses. Furthermore, public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted the life-threatening consequences of the spread of medical disinformation.

Dealing with the disease of misinformation can be a daunting task, but it is not impossible. The pandemic of misinformation can be controlled and minimized (although it may be impossible to eradicate it) through a collective and coordinated effort from the government, tech companies, media organizations and individuals. The first and foremost action should be to enhance media literacy education, increasing both its quality and quantity, and incorporating it in basic education systems.

Promoting media literacy from an early age will equip individuals with the skills needed to critically evaluate information sources and discern credible information from falsehoods, as well as enable the individuals to assist others in discerning fact from fallacy. Secondly, independent fact-checking and verification (by individuals, organizations, or both) should be implemented and promoted on social media platforms that serve as the breeding ground for misinformation. Independent fact-checking third parties can play a crucial role in debunking false information and providing accurate context. A perfect example of this can be seen on the social media platform Twitter, where average users are able to provideverifiable context to information posted by other users.

Thirdly, the government should regulate the usage and flow of data and information on the internet and digital platforms. Governments can establish clear regulations for social media platforms and other online spaces, ensuring accountability for the spread of disinformation and imposing penalties on malicious actors. Tech companies could be forced to enhance transparency in their algorithms and take responsibility for the content they amplify, prioritizing accuracy over sensationalism.

Additionally, digital literacy campaigns should be launched, describing the dangers and risks of misinformation to average individuals. Governments, NGOs, and tech companies can collaborate to develop digital literacy campaigns that educate users about the risks of disinformation and provide tools for responsible online engagement. Lastly, with the most recent advancement in digital and technological world, and the widespread availability of artificial intelligence (AI), tech companies could prioritize the ethical development of artificial intelligence algorithms, focusing on minimizing bias, promoting diverse perspectives, and reducing the amplification of false information.

As the world hurtles forward in the age of rapid digitalization, the lightning-fast spread of disinformation stands as a significant challenge to the integrity of information ecosystems. To safeguard our society and country from misinformation and propaganda, both domestic and foreign, and to maintain and promote social and political stability, we need to be able to adequately handle and minimize the affliction of rampant misinformation. However, this cannot be achieved by individuals alone, instead it would require the government, the tech companies, and the individuals, working hand in hand towards eradication of misinformation through enhanced and accessible media literacy education, government regulations of social media platforms and increased accountability, and independent fact-checking and verification conducted readily on dubious and suspicious information. Only then can we strive to harness the benefits of digitalization in earnest while mitigating the risks posed by the unchecked spread of misinformation.

  •  Ali Abbas, Alumni, Department of Public Administration, FMS, BUITEMS
  • Mir Hassan, Lecturer, Department of Public Administration, FMS, BUITEMS

Ali Abbas

Ali Abbas, Student, BSPA (6th semester, Department of Public Administration, FMS, BUITEMS

Parents can play a crucial role in helping their teenagers evaluate online information, identify credible sources, and develop a healthy skepticism towards unverified claims.

Title:

Content:
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Printable version

Help for vulnerable people to spot disinformation and boost online safety

Elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people will get better support to stay safe online and avoid being misled by disinformation thanks to a funding boost from the government to mark UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week.

  • Funding awarded to improve media literacy among vulnerable and ‘hard-to-reach’ groups
  • Will support projects across the UK to ensure everyone can protect themselves from online disinformation
  • Part of the government’s Online Media Literacy Strategy to help people be safe online

Elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people will get better support to stay safe online and avoid being misled by disinformation thanks to a funding boost from the government to mark UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week.

More than £1 million has been granted to 17 UK organisations to pilot new ways of boosting media literacy skills for people at risk of experiencing online abuse and being deceived into believing false information, such as vaccine disinformation, deepfake videos or propaganda created by hostile states.

Research shows some people struggle to engage and benefit from the range of media literacy education on offer, due to limited experience or overconfidence in using the internet, as well as a lack of awareness of how to access resources and their unavailability outside of schools and colleges.

The Media Literacy Taskforce Fund is one of two funding schemes created to target ‘hard-to-reach’ and vulnerable groups by investing in community-led projects to ensure everyone has the opportunity to improve their media literacy skills and protect themselves from online disinformation.

Social enterprise Freshrb will work with young people to develop their own podcasts exploring online dis- and misinformation to be aired on local radio. Another project run by charity Internet Matters will provide media literacy training for dozens of care workers and leavers in the Greater Manchester area.

Elderly people from diverse backgrounds in Leeds will have access to digital media skills training online and in community centres as part of the Leeds Older People’s ForumParent Zone is working with eight local councils including Calderdale, Luton and Middlesborough to deliver media literacy resources tailored to parents and carers of teenagers.

A separate scheme, the Media Literacy Programme Fund, will deliver training courses, online learning, tech solutions and mentoring schemes to vulnerable internet users.

Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan said:

With the rise of online disinformation, teaching people to identify fact from fiction has never been more important to public safety.

As well as bringing forward new laws to tackle the root causes of these problems, we are funding organisations to give people the skills to stay safe online so everyone can benefit from all the internet has to offer.

Winning projects in the Media Literacy Programme Fund to receive grants today include:

  • NewsGuard, which will work with ageing-focused charities to, deliver workshops to older adults to support them in spotting mis- and disinformation online;
  • The Economist Educational Foundation will work with disadvantaged schools and boost teachers’ skills through news literacy training and support students to engage with the news and think critically about what they’re consuming online;
  • Online Safety charity Glitch will deliver workshops and training to vulnerable and marginalised women to support their media literacy skills including tackling online abuse.

All the schemes are part of the government’s plans to deliver the Online Media Literacy Strategy, a national action plan to empower people to stay safe online by giving them the skills they need to think critically about what they see and read on the internet.

Launched in July 2021, the three-year strategy supports media literacy organisations to deliver education and initiatives in a more wide-reaching and effective way. The year two plan, published in April, is backed by more than £2 million in targeted funding, including today’s announcement. This is in addition to the £250,000 grant funding delivered to five organisations working with schools to adapt media literacy resources for teachers working with disabled students in our year one action plan.

The announcement coincides with the UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week, a global initiative celebrating the progress countries have made toward making media literacy education more accessible to its citizens by implementing national media and information literacy policies.

The grant funding complements the measures in the groundbreaking Online Safety Bill, which supports a safer online environment by requiring tech firms to protect children from harmful content and tackle criminal activity on their platforms.

Notes to Editors

  • DCMS is backing the country’s powerhouse sectors to grow the economy and make a difference where people live.
  • DCMS sectors, like tech, telecoms and the creative industries, contribute £211 billion to the economy each year and support more than four million jobs across the UK. And they are creating new jobs, with 250k more jobs filled now than before the pandemic.
  • The digital sector contributes approximately £138 billion to the economy. There are 1,822,000 jobs in the sector - 250,000 more than in 2019 before the pandemic.
  • The UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week, this year hosted in Nigeria, is an annual celebration of the progress achieved towards Media and Information Literacy for All. The 2022 theme is “Nurturing Trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative”.
  • The UK’s independent communications regulator, Ofcom, defines media literacy as the ‘ability to use, understand and create media and communications in a variety of contexts’.
  • More than 170 organisations are currently involved in delivering media literacy education in the UK.
  • DCMS has created a webpage offering online media literacy resources.
  • See the full list of grant recipients below.

Winners of the Media Literacy Programme Fund:

Winners of the Media Literacy Taskforce Fund:

Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-culture-media-sport

Original article link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/help-for-vulnerable-people-to-spot-disinformation-and-boost-online-safety

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Title:

Content: Parents were given advice on how to develop critical thinking in a child
Critical thinking consists of the body of knowledge that a person receives throughout life, including at school and in a higher educational institution.
Nevertheless, the basis of such an attitude lies in the mental sphere of a person, primarily in his attitude to the data obtained.
And these criteria and values are laid down from childhood.
About this "Gazeta.Ru" told the teacher of history of the school "New look", graduate student of HSE Niyaz Galyaviev.
“This is about understanding the criteria for reliability of information.
A person should not perceive the information as knowingly true and truthful.
It must be evaluated by the criteria of reliability of information: is its source reliable, is a professional expert cited certain data? ” he explained.
First of all, as the teacher said, the basic attitudes of the future adult are formed in the family.
Such mentality and approach begin with household issues.
“How much do parents give the child the opportunity to express their own opinion on a particular issue?
Are they ready, and most importantly, do they want to discuss the situation and their point of view with him?
Therefore, initially it is necessary to create an appropriate atmosphere within the family: with the appropriate values, approach and the ability to challenge the child ’ s point of view of the parents, ” the specialist stressed.
Next comes the school.
It is clear that parents cannot influence the school itself much if there is an atmosphere of “non-discussion ” of decisions in it.
However, parents can take this aspect into account when choosing a school for their child.
“It is necessary to pay attention to the teaching staff of the school, to the atmosphere prevailing in it, the style of communication between the leadership and teachers.
All this in general will form an understanding of what attitude prevails in the school to students and whether it is possible to foster critical thinking in children, ” added Galyaviev.
The teacher also gave some advice to parents.
The first of them is to discuss more with your child various situations, yours and his attitude towards them.
Here we are talking both about everyday life events, and about situations and plots in books and films.
“Model situations by taking one side or the other.
Look for arguments with your child to defend different points of view.
Teach the child the culture of argument and tell him how to use facts and arguments in it.
It is also worth paying attention to the social sciences, the processes in which can be understood and discussed.
They can be your helpers in the formation of critical thinking of the child.
It is, first and foremost, history and social science.
Let me give an example of a story - discuss historical events with your child, express your reasoned attitude to them.
And if it comes to recent history, then tell about those historical events that you witnessed to give an alternative or supplement the knowledge gained at school.
In fact, you will be another source of historical information for the child, ” he advised.
In addition, special attention to the development of critical thinking can be paid to additional classes.
“Parents ’ aides can be clubs or debate clubs.
They teach to build a discussion, to look for arguments in favor of a particular point of view.
Children also have the opportunity to defend not only their opinion, but also, participating in simulated situations, the opinion of the opposite side.
And in public speaking courses, as a rule, they inculcate the skill of speaking in front of a large number of people, they are taught to cope with anxiety and experiences.
Such classes give the child self-confidence, which is important, and also inculcate the skill of forming possible questions and preparing answers to them, ” the expert said.
You can also pay attention to the sections, which prepare for future professions, assuming the skill of critical thinking as hard skills.
These are, first of all, circles of young journalists and historians.
This is where they talk about the criteria for reliability of information.
For example, that the data are not true if they are not confirmed from 2-3 sources.
“Of course, a favorable time for the development of critical thinking is the teenage age of the child, when faith in authority begins to be questioned, ” added Galyaviev.
According to the teacher, critical thinking significantly affects the independence of a person, forms his independence from other people's judgments.
He will be able to make his own decisions and thus manage his own life.
An adult with critical thinking cannot be held hostage to other people ’ s opinions, authorities and delusions.
He will form his attitude to the situation, based on an objective attitude to it.
Such adults will not become the object of manipulation of other people, will be able to recognize their hypocrisy and dishonesty, as well as hidden motives, the expert concluded.

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Facebook Acknowledged It Has A Problem, But Teen Users May Have To Face It On Their Own

As previously reported, last month Facebook's own internal data acknowledged that its Instagram platform resulted in body image disorders in one in three teenage girls. Instead of seeking to resolve the issue, Facebook fired back and stated that it wasn't accurate that the research had demonstrated that the platform was in fact "toxic" for teen girls.

Experts say that isn't good enough, and that social media platforms should do more in operating responsibly when it comes to the mental health of its young users.

"Social media sites need a mental health warning label that is readily visible to users," suggested Dr. Allison Forti, associate teaching professor and associate director of the Department of Counseling Online Programs at Wake Forest University.

"They also need to provide free, downloadable guidebooks for users on how to use their platform safely," Forti added. "This guidebook should include transparency on how the algorithms are built to maintain users' attention, as well as the pitfalls explaining the need for a mental health warning label. They need to acknowledge the risk involved with engaging on their sites. Ultimately, social media sites need to increase transparency so users have informed consent for what they choose to consume and how they choose to participate."

Platforms such as Facebook could be also be more proactive to these issues.

"Social media sites should periodically post content providing education to users," recommended Jennifer Henry, licensed professional counselor and director of the Counseling Center at Maryville University. "This could be added to the user's news feed or could be something they read when they sign up for an account with the site."

Teens On Their Own Online

Parents should still pay attention to their teenage children's online activities, and while limiting time spent on the platforms could be an option, it seems that simply pulling the plug on social media isn't the solution.

"Social media is woven into the fabric of our culture so complete social media abstinence for teens is unrealistic," said Forti.

"With that in mind, teens and parents need extensive education and support surrounding the darkside of social media," she added. "Time spent on social media is correlated with a decrease in mental health so setting time limits is one strategy to buffer deleterious effects. App time trackers are available to monitor use. Set concrete and measurable goals of how much time you want to devote to social media."

Forti further suggested a 30-day "social media detox," which she said could "disrupt the dopamine related pleasure and pain cycle in the brain."

After this, teen users could return to social media with strict rules and boundaries that might include deleting social media apps from the phone or blocking social media apps during certain times of the day.

"Teens may benefit from a 'no phone zone' during meals, study time, or hanging out with friends so they can be present," explained Forti.

Other Tips To Reduce The Bad Feelings

Unfortunately, today many of the platforms have become "anti-social" networks. While teens may not be engaging in the same political discussions that are deepening our national divide, the platforms are often making teens feel worse about themselves as influencers are paid to look good and be constantly positive.

For teens this may present unrealistic views of the world.

"Social media is basically a 'highlight reel' of people's lives," explained Henry. "Users need to be reminded of this, when they catch themselves thinking everyone else is so much happier/better looking/more popular than them."

Henry added that teens also need to be reminded that the number of "likes" one gets from a post does not indicate how many people love or care about them. "It's also important for teens to know what they see on social media is not reality."

Healthy Social Media Usage

The experts also said that parents need to play an active role in helping their teen balance social media, and the rules should be the same for all. If a teen can't use his/her phone at the dinner table than the same should hold true for parents – even when it could be an important call from work. While there can be exceptions in rare instances, it shouldn't be the norm.

"Parents may need to self-reflect on their own social media behaviors, because they serve as role models for their children," said Forti. "It's important teens are taught how to use social media; it's not a game or a harmless activity. It requires a great deal of education. Parents should seek out resources and information on digital wellness and review it with their children."

Teens may also need support from each other, especially to counteract the dreaded "FOMA" – Fear Of Missing Out. That remains a significant issue across social media.

"If all your friends are engaging on Snapchat throughout the day and you're not, you may feel left out, forgotten, or disconnected," said Forti. "Strategies might include agreeing to take a digital detox challenge week so everyone is limiting social media simultaneously, reminding each other to put phones away when hanging out together, or agreeing not to document all of their social events on social media. Other strategies could revolve around filling up their lives with more interesting things than scrolling or posting messages – join the swim team, learn an instrument, write a short story, record a podcast, or volunteer. Small behavioral changes over time can shift the culture away from the all consuming grip of social media and create a more fulfilled, meaningful, and connected life."

Finally, as the t-shirts and song lyrics may remind us, "haters are gonna hate," but that's mean we need to accept it.

"Remember that you control your news feed," Henry noted. "I would suggest hiding or unfollowing anyone whose social media leads you to feel bad. If you find that a classmate is constantly posting work out videos and diet tips and this is triggering for you, hide that person's account. Intentionally seek out people to 'follow' who promote self-acceptance, positivity, and sense of belonging. Fill your news feed with people and pages that share positive messages. Become the curator of your own news feed, focusing on making it hopeful, healthy, encouraging, and a positive place for you to spend time!"

Associating with flat Earth believers may expose a teenager to misinformation and conspiracy theories that can be harmful to their critical thinking and understanding of the world.

Parents can mitigate these risks by encouraging critical thinking, providing accurate information, and promoting media literacy skills in their teenagers.

Title:

Content: Media literacy key to combat misinformation, disinformation

Is media literacy the key to combating misinformation and disinformation?

Well, this was the subject of a conversation hosted by the Caribbean School of Media and Communication (Carimac), University of the West Indies, Mona Campus Jamaica; The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) on November 13.

TT journalist Wesley Gibbings was the main presenter at the conference titled A Conversation on Media Literacy.

In his presentation, he said media and information literacy, intrinsically including a higher level of digital literacy, provided the region with the opportunity to achieve a human-rights-compliant approach to addressing issues of misinformation, disinformation and other mass media dysfunction.

He was one of five panellists, which included director of UWI, Mona’s Western Jamaica Campus Dr Patrick Prendergast; secretary general of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Barbados Sonia Gill; president of the Media Institute of the Caribbean TT-based Kiran Maharaj and Carimac graduate student Kayla Keane.

Gibbings said the overriding assumption was that equipping consumers of media content with an ability to distinguish fact from fiction and truth from lies had the potential to greatly “diminish the impact of unreliable supply of news, information and other content.”

He added it was an important issue to consider, especially if it was conceded that digital content, in particular, would continue to grow and escape even through “the finest mesh of regulation.”

“More prohibition, as attractive as they appear to Caribbean decision-makers, is thus destined to be futile,” he said.

Through demand-oriented media literacy, both direct and collateral social damage could be avoided or minimised.

“The lower the demand, the greater the hindrance to supply,” he said.

It did not provide a comprehensive shield, so most defenders of rights agreed that the protections afforded to the subjects of social media or all media content, under common law and statute, should continue to apply, he said.

Gibbings said even the founding principles of free speech captured by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights identified duties and responsibilities and, with them, “widely accepted” limitations.

There were debates regarding the applications of these limitations alongside what was to be considered on questions of media and information literacy, he said.

Gibbings said there were nuances to consider when it came to this: issues such as defamation, threats to national security, and incitements to discrimination, hostility or violence.

He added there was also the principle that addressed the infringement of other rights, such as privacy.

“This should clear off the air among those under the misguided assumption that people who advocate for freedom of expression are somehow envisaging a situation of untrammelled liberty,” Gibbings said. Though it was true that more freedom was preferred over less freedom, he said.

Gibbings said media and information literacy addresses these concerns at several levels by actively engaging a wide cross-section of interested partners inclusive of state and non-state partners, with a special look to those involved in mass communication and this was not restricted to traditional media.

He added that media literacy was already part of the curricula in schools in some countries.

This expanded traditional emphasis on critical-thinking components in the school system, he said.

“One indirect impact of this is that the state becomes specifically involved in administering and evaluating progress on this as a national responsibility,” he said.

There was also the possibility of wider youth engagement, through this, in dissecting and influencing digital trends and becoming advocates for responsible media consumption, Gibbings said.

The conversation included discussion on critical thinking and the structure of news in today’s digital world.

The conversation lasted a little over two hours.

More in this section

Education is essential in helping children develop critical thinking skills to judge whether information is true or false, and collective action is necessary to protect children from the harm of misinformation.

The UK government has awarded over £1 million in funding to 17 organizations to improve media literacy among vulnerable groups, including the elderly and disabled, which can also help protect teenagers from misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas like the flat Earth theory.

Parents can use strategies such as encouraging critical evaluation of online sources, promoting media literacy education, and engaging in open discussions about online safety and disinformation to promote critical thinking and media literacy in their teenagers.

Critical thinking in children is formed from childhood, with the basic attitudes and values laid down in the family, and parents should create an atmosphere that encourages discussion and debate.

The criteria for reliability of information, such as the source and expertise of the information, should be taught to children to help them evaluate information effectively and avoid misinformation.

Parents should pay attention to their teenage children's online activities to protect them from the negative effects of social media, and limiting time spent on social media can be an option to buffer deleterious effects.

Establishing strict rules and boundaries, such as deleting social media apps from the phone or blocking social media apps during certain times of the day, can help teens use social media responsibly and reduce the risk of encountering misinformation.

The promotion of critical thinking and media literacy is essential in addressing the issue of misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas, such as the flat Earth theory.

Education and schools can play a significant role in promoting critical thinking and media literacy by incorporating professional education courses into high school curricula.

Title:

Content: Zhongjia Group is committed to the promotion of media literacy for four years. This year, Zhongjia Group launched a media literacy program for high school students. Today, Guo Guanqun, Chairman of Zhongjia Digital, Guo Lixin, Director of the College of Communication of National Chengchi University, and Wu Liqing, President of Zhongshan Girls High School, announced the program officially launched.
Guo Guanqun, chairman of Zhongjia, said that Zhongjia is the largest multi-system operator of cable TV in China. We are a member of the media and a member of the community.
This year, I am very pleased to be able to further carry out a three-year promotion program with National Chengchi University, a top school in the field of communication in China.
We are committed to the promotion of media literacy. We not only work with local associations and communities to promote general public literacy education, but also enter the campus. We also conduct camp or experiential courses to help students understand the media, develop skills or support in-depth research in universities. Professional education courses are brought to the high school campus.
Professor Kuo Li-hsin, Director of the School of Communication at National Chengchi University, said that the influence of fake news is very extensive and complex. From the individual to the international political situation, it is now the focus of attention and legislative control of various countries.
Zhongjia Group is the largest broadband and cable television multi-system operator in China. As an information producer and broadcaster, Zhongjia Group has been actively promoting media literacy activities in six major metropolitan areas, including Keelung, Shuangbei, Taoyuan, Tainan and Kaohsiung. More than $30 million has been invested so far, more than 200 large and small events have been held, and a total of more than 10,000 people have participated in the event, which has been widely praised in various places.
# Zhongjia # Media Literacy # Promotion # Literacy # Group

Parents and educators can work together to address the issue of misinformation and pseudoscientific ideas by promoting media literacy and critical thinking skills in students.

Media literacy is considered key to combating misinformation and disinformation, and it can provide a human-rights-compliant approach to addressing issues of misinformation and disinformation.

The inclusion of media literacy in school curricula can lead to state involvement in administering and evaluating progress as a national responsibility.

Critical thinking is an essential component of media literacy, enabling individuals to evaluate information effectively.

The lack of education about technology leads some people to believe that 'if it's on the Internet, it must be true'.

Only around half of 15-year-olds in OECD countries are able to tell facts from opinions.

Disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories have gained ground in recent years, and the main reason fake news goes viral is a lack of critical thinking.

Social media is the favorite channel for spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation, and social media moderation is often inadequate or non-existent.

A bill has been pre-filed in the Missouri House of Representatives to create a pilot program aimed at helping K-12 students be more resilient to misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories.

The proposed program, called the 'Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act', aims to develop strategies for improving students' ability to think critically and process incoming information from various sources.

Building healthy skepticism and understanding one's own bias and that of others is a key goal of the proposed program.

Understanding how news sources verify information can help consumers know which sources to trust.

The rapid spread of disinformation is a significant issue in the digital age, exacerbated by social media platforms, algorithmic amplification, and lack of media literacy.

Disinformation can have severe impacts on politics, society, and the economy, including eroding trust, fueling polarization, and causing financial losses.

Enhancing media literacy education is a crucial step in combating disinformation, as it equips individuals with critical thinking skills to evaluate information sources and discern credible information from falsehoods.