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'Is that really true?' Students sort fact from fiction at Misinfo Day

Misinfo Day 2019 at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.
UW Center for an Informed Public
Misinfo Day 2019 at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.";

As you scroll through your social media feed, how often do you stop and think, “Is that really true?” It’s a question students in middle and high school are being asked to ponder this week as part of Misinfo Day.

In virtual classrooms around the state, more than 1,000 students will attend workshops about misinformation and disinformation and how to identify it.

Liz Crouse is coordinating Misinfo Day event through the UW’s Center for an Informed Public. She says beyond learning about fact-checking and determining if a source is reliable is understanding how people seeking to spread bad information can target our emotions.

"Even if maybe you would be great at determining whether something was true or false about an issue that you're not emotionally charged up about, those skills are going to decrease when you're looking at something that's getting you excited or angry," Crouse said.

Crouse says most students are aware that some of what they see isn’t true, but haven’t always thought of the consequences. She says you need look no further than the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to see how damaging mis- and disinformation can be. 

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.