Hindrance to democracy in the United States

Fake news has become a major controversy and potential hindrance to democracy in the United States as well as worldwide. This means that information literacy – being able to recognize bias fallacies and disinformation – is more crucial than ever before. For this essay you will be comparing and contrasting two pieces of news. Specifically you must select one piece of fake news and present an argument with detailed analysis to show why it is fake news that should not be taken seriously or shared. You will also need to find one truthful reliable piece of news on the same issue or event to present a contrasting analysis explaining why this second piece of news is more legitimate than the first. You have quite a bit of liberty in choosing your pieces of news (it can be a news article blog post website speech video political ad etc.) but you must keep these two things in mind: All of your readings for this unit (listed again below for your convenience) provide you with detailed guidance on distinguishing fake news from credible sources. While you don’t need to cite these readings you do need to use their guidance methodologies and advice in your thorough examination process of your two sources to clearly and persuasively explain in your essay why one source displays trustworthy and responsible reporting while the other does not. A general rule of thumb to keep in mind is that just because you disagree with something does not mean it is fake news and just because you believe something does not mean it is true. For the purposes of this essay fake news can come in three forms: Your essay should make clear which type or degree of fake news you are presenting. This essay is a bit different from a standard persuasive argument but you must still have a thesis that clearly states your evaluation of your two sources (why one is fake and the other is not). Since your two pieces of news will be about the same issue or event you should provide some background or context to that topic either in your introduction or a first body paragraph. Your remaining body paragraphs can be organized in whatever way makes your comparative analysis clear and easy to follow. You may wish to (1) discuss one source first and then move on to your second source; or if you use the same criteria or factors to determine which news is fake and which is legitimate you can (2) apply one factor to both sources then a second factor to both sources and so on. Choose whichever way makes logical sense for the organization of your argument. End your essay with a conclusion paragraph that wraps up your argument and leaves the reader with some insight on why this issue is important or worth writing about. Aim for at least five double-spaced pages. Your essay must be typed in MLA format which means double-spaced with 1-inch margins in size 12 Times New Roman font. Since you are referencing texts your essay should include in-text citations and a Works Cited in proper MLA format. Don’t forget your MLA heading title and pagination. The Works Cited does not count toward the page length. Remember that your two news sources must be cited in your Works Cited correctly so that I can locate them. If I can’t locate your sources and examine them for myself you will not get credit for this essay no matter how many pages you write or how well written it is! Whatever two news sources you choose must be easily available to your reader and they must be cited in your Works Cited correctly so that I can locate them. If I can’t locate your sources and examine them for myself you will not get credit for this essay. Very brief or simple examples might make it more difficult to write a detailed five-page essay so choose your sources wisely. Critical Thinking Ch. 7 pp. 244-280 and Ch. 9 pp. 370-385 Inskeep “A Finder’s Guide to Facts” (Canvas > Week 3 Module) Media Bias Chart (Canvas > Week 3 Module) blatant disinformation and lies (in which the news source intended to lie and mislead); or highly irresponsible misinformation or lack of evidence (in which the news source should have known their information was not completely reliable or airtight); or extreme bias and argumentative fallacies that outweigh any informational value (in which the news is not necessarily false but is so opinionated and biased that its not really useful).