Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #TruthDecay
Most recents (7)
Supporting civic education and media literacy is one way to counter #TruthDecay and restore the role of facts in the U.S.
With this in mind, we developed a series of lesson plans to help educators teach their students how to engage with public policy.🧵bit.ly/3wVfLPH
With this in mind, we developed a series of lesson plans to help educators teach their students how to engage with public policy.🧵bit.ly/3wVfLPH
The lesson plans—designed by @PradoTuma & Alice Huguet—can help middle school students understand
🔹how public policy relates to their lives
🔹why it's important to learn about policy issues from credible sources
🔹how to be more critical consumers and creators of information.
🔹how public policy relates to their lives
🔹why it's important to learn about policy issues from credible sources
🔹how to be more critical consumers and creators of information.
The lessons include videos of students asking RAND experts about important issues:
😷How can schools protect kids against COVID?
🇺🇸What support do immigrant families and children need?
🌎What should young people know about climate change?
💤Why don't teenagers get enough sleep?
😷How can schools protect kids against COVID?
🇺🇸What support do immigrant families and children need?
🌎What should young people know about climate change?
💤Why don't teenagers get enough sleep?
Why can't we agree on the facts?
[thread]
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The role of facts & analysis in American public life has been declining over the last two decades.
We call this #TruthDecay. It's led to alienation, a lack of civil discourse, political paralysis, and general uncertainty around what's true and what isn't. bit.ly/3M9OkGI
We call this #TruthDecay. It's led to alienation, a lack of civil discourse, political paralysis, and general uncertainty around what's true and what isn't. bit.ly/3M9OkGI
RAND has been studying #TruthDecay to better understand
🔧how it works
🔎why it's happening
💡what you can do to tackle it.
And we're excited to share two new videos, inspired by our research.👇
🔧how it works
🔎why it's happening
💡what you can do to tackle it.
And we're excited to share two new videos, inspired by our research.👇
Russia and China have targeted Americans with malign and subversive information campaigns during the #COVID19 pandemic.
New RAND research examines these campaigns — and what they might suggest about future activities by Moscow and Beijing. [thread] bit.ly/2SaaMbH
New RAND research examines these campaigns — and what they might suggest about future activities by Moscow and Beijing. [thread] bit.ly/2SaaMbH
The global spread of #COVID19 created fertile ground for attempts to influence and destabilize different populations.
Our report describes information efforts in which Russia- and China-associated outlets appear to have targeted U.S. audiences from January to July 2020.
Our report describes information efforts in which Russia- and China-associated outlets appear to have targeted U.S. audiences from January to July 2020.
Both Russia & China:
🔸used a variety of channels—including social media—to spread malign & subversive information
🔸sought to tarnish America's reputation by making claims about its pandemic response
🔸falsely accused the U.S. of developing & intentionally spreading the virus
🔸used a variety of channels—including social media—to spread malign & subversive information
🔸sought to tarnish America's reputation by making claims about its pandemic response
🔸falsely accused the U.S. of developing & intentionally spreading the virus
We're living in an era of #TruthDecay: Americans increasingly disagree about basic facts. This can have dire consequences.
Civic education is key to reversing the course. Our new report identifies ways to spark an American civics revival. [thread] bit.ly/2JYWXc3
Civic education is key to reversing the course. Our new report identifies ways to spark an American civics revival. [thread] bit.ly/2JYWXc3
Let's start by defining "civics." You might be thinking of lessons from your high school government class. But our research explores a much broader set of skills (e.g., critical thinking, communication) that help students engage in democracy in an active and informed way.
We recently surveyed U.S. social studies teachers to learn more about:
🏫 the state of civic education and media literacy in public schools
✏️the challenges teachers face in promoting kids' civic development
🇺🇸 ways to enhance civic learning opportunities for students.
🏫 the state of civic education and media literacy in public schools
✏️the challenges teachers face in promoting kids' civic development
🇺🇸 ways to enhance civic learning opportunities for students.
Americans are placing less faith in institutions that were once trusted sources of information—including the media.
That's one of the key trends that characterizes #TruthDecay—defined as the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life.
bit.ly/2V798qG
That's one of the key trends that characterizes #TruthDecay—defined as the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life.
bit.ly/2V798qG
Tonight, RAND leaders and media experts are gathering at our Santa Monica HQ to discuss the role the media plays in exacerbating #TruthDecay—and the role it can play in fighting the phenomenon.
We'll have live updates on this thread.
We'll have live updates on this thread.
We're joined by panelists
🔹@michaeldrich, RAND president and CEO
🔹@jekavanagh, leader of our Countering #TruthDecay initiative
🔹@WendyMcMahon7, president, ABC Owned Television Stations
🔹@NPearlstine, executive editor, @latimes
and moderator @Willow_Bay, dean of @USCAnnenberg
🔹@michaeldrich, RAND president and CEO
🔹@jekavanagh, leader of our Countering #TruthDecay initiative
🔹@WendyMcMahon7, president, ABC Owned Television Stations
🔹@NPearlstine, executive editor, @latimes
and moderator @Willow_Bay, dean of @USCAnnenberg
One-third of Americans rely on news platforms that they acknowledge are less reliable — mainly social media and peers.
That’s from our new report on how reliability, demographics, and political partisanship factor into Americans’ news choices. bit.ly/2YA5jKE [thread]
That’s from our new report on how reliability, demographics, and political partisanship factor into Americans’ news choices. bit.ly/2YA5jKE [thread]
☝️This study is the latest release from our research initiative on how to counter #TruthDecay, the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life.👇
rand.org/research/proje…
rand.org/research/proje…
As for the other two-thirds of Americans, they consider their primary news sources (mainly print news and broadcast TV) to be trustworthy.
How has the presentation of news — its style and linguistic characteristics — changed over time and across media platforms?
To find out, we conducted a quantitative analysis of 30 years of news stories. This thread provides an overview. rand.org/pubs/research_… via @jekavanagh
To find out, we conducted a quantitative analysis of 30 years of news stories. This thread provides an overview. rand.org/pubs/research_… via @jekavanagh
Since the late 1980s, U.S.-based journalism has gradually shifted away from objective news and offers more opinion-based content that appeals to emotion and relies heavily on argumentation and advocacy.
Researchers used a RAND text analysis tool to comb through tens of thousands of articles & TV transcripts to identify patterns in the use of words and phrases.
This let them a) see how news has changed in tone, sentiment, and language and b) quantify the sizes of those changes.
This let them a) see how news has changed in tone, sentiment, and language and b) quantify the sizes of those changes.
