South College Library Blog

What is fake news? Is it malicious—or just lazy? And what can we do to avoid it? Read below to understand this phenomenon and how you can navigate our changing media landscape.

The End of Traditional Publishing

In the past, information came to us through only a few established, official channels, such as the evening news, the local newspaper, or a traditional publishing house. Information transfer through these methods was slow, as each news interview, article, or book passed through multiple hands in the selection, editing, and distribution process. 

By contrast, in today's world of instant communication, information comes to us from an unlimited number of sources. We watch vloggers discuss important topics on TikTok or YouTube, download ebooks directly from the author's webpage, or stream a podcast from our smart phones. Without the traditional publishing process, this information is distributed immediately and often without any oversight. This results in a large amount of misinformation that end users have to sift through on their own.

The Rise of Fake News

While a lot of bad information comes from those with good intentions (but poor quality control), there has also been a rise in malicious actors who spread false information on purpose. They may be doing so for a variety of reasons, from getting people to buy their products to convincing people to vote a different way in an election. Fake news can range from covering a news story in a biased manner to completely inventing information with the intent to influence readers.

SMART Evaluation

As end users of information, what can we do? One helpful tool is the SMART evaluation. While reading, consider the following:

1. Source
   1. Who is the author or publisher? Are they an expert on the topic? What kind of website does this appear on?
2. Motivation
   1. What is the purpose of the information? Is this fact, opinion, or propaganda? Does the information have a political or ideological bias?
3. Accuracy
   1. Is the information supported by evidence with its sources cited? Has the information been reviewed by experts? Can you verify the same information in another source? Is the information free from errors in spelling or grammar?
4. Relevance
   1. Who is the intended audience of this information? 
5. Timeliness
   1. When was this information published or updated? Are the links functional?

Keep these tips in mind when reviewing any new information, especially when researching for your coursework. Check out additional resources below.

For more tips and sources, check out the South College Library's Fact-Checking: How to Guide Research Guide.

Library Resources

After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News 

Publication Date: 2020
An HBO documentary on the consequences of disinformation and fake news in the era of social media.

Useful Websites

• Snopes.com
• PolitiFact
• AllSides: Balanced News from the Left, Center and Right
• FactCheck.org

Online Wall Street Journal Subscription Access Added to Library Holdings

The library has added online subscription access to the Wall Street Journal.

Check out the library's Wall Street Journal Guide for detailed sign-up steps, and the Wall Street Journal FAQ for more information.

Interested faculty, staff, and students can sign up for an account with a few simple steps.

1. Go to the Wall Street Journal.
2. Sign into the library to verify you are an employee or student of South College.
   1. Students need to change the drop-down menu from "staff" to "student."
   2. Faculty and staff use South College network username and password.
   3. Students use Canvas username and password.
3. Create your WSJ account.
   1. Confirm name and South College email address.
   2. Students enter an estimated date of graduation.
   3. South College email address will be the WSJ logon.
   4. South College network (faculty and staff) or Canvas (student) password will be the password.

Spring is in the air, and that means — e-books are blooming?

OK, maybe not, but the library has added two new e-books to our databases for business classes and one for the physician assistant program:

Four new movies have been added to the library's Swank Digital Campus account the week of March 30-April 4:

• Contagion
• Outbreak
• Miss Evers' Boys
• Something the Lord Made

One new movie will become available the week beginning April 6:

• Girl, Interrupted

Access to the movies is via the links on the library's Swank Digital Campus page. Instructors may also have included direct links into their Canvas courses.

Welcome to the South College Library Blog!

The South College library has a new blog! We're just starting out, but we're excited about the opportunities this new channel of communication brings.

Currently, some of the possible blog content topics are:

• Library resources, services, and events
• Tips for studying
• Career Services news
• Other faculty- and student-suggested topics

What content would you like to see in the blog?

Blog subscribers will be among the first to receive news on library services and resources, so please subscribe! Readers can subscribe to new post notifications by entering an e-mail address in the "Subscribe" box in the blog sidebar.