Note: The views and opinions expressed in blog/editorial posts are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the views or opinions of Misbar.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." – Albert Einstein
“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.” – Francis Bacon
Learning to think critically is vital when it comes to discerning whether news is real or fake. But what exactly is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is the rational, objective analysis of an issue that uses facts and data to support its investigation. The Greek philosopher Socrates is considered the father of critical thinking. He established the process of Socratic questioning, which entails thoughtful, rigorous questioning of complex ideas to try and discover the truth. Critical thinking allows you to form beliefs steeped in facts and logic. This makes you less vulnerable to sensationalist stories, unfounded conspiracy theories, and clickbait. The tips below will help you to further develop critical thinking skills so that you can recognize misinformation and fight fake news.
1. Recognize the elements of a claim. The claim is the central point and driving force that comprises an argument. A claim is based on reasons, which are rooted in evidence. Establishing reasons through evidence ensures that an argument is logical; without reasons and evidence, it might be an opinion. However, even an evidence-based argument can still be countered by another argument, or the counterargument.
For example, One America News Network, a notoriously conservative news source, posted an article supporting U.S. President Trump’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.
MSNBC, which leans left, posted an article that called Trump’s response “botching.”
OAN and MSNBC’s claims could be considered counterarguments of each other. It is important to consider counterarguments to any given claim because doing so allows you to contemplate whether the claim may be biased. It can also be helpful to think about a rebuttal that demonstrates why the claim might still be effective despite acknowledgement of the counterargument. Finally, the warrant of an argument is the principle that connects evidence to your claims. You might think of it as an authorial assumption. The example with OAN and MSNBC above shows that people can have opposing claims even about the same issue: Trump’s handling of the coronavirus. This is because they have vastly different warrants. OAN wants to support Trump’s actions while MSNBC wants to oppose them.
Recognizing the various parts of a claim so will allow you to think critically about what exactly it says, how and why it was formed, how it might be debunked, and the principle that allows it to work – or not.
2. Be on alert for logical fallacies. Many fake news articles can be debunked by looking for common logical fallacies. Logical fallacies in the news include:
a. Hasty generalizations: a claim that has little to no supporting evidence. For example, many anti-vaxxers claim that vaccines cause autism.
However, the assumption that increased rates of autism is due to vaccines is based on a hasty generalization. Every study except for one, which has been exposed as fraudulent, proves that vaccines do not cause autism. Instead, the growing rates of autism are likely because autism was not even known as a developmental disorder until 1980, and because public awareness of the disorder has led to increased diagnoses.
b. Appeal to authority or bandwagon approach: a claim that purports to be true because it is quoting an authority or because it is accepted by a large number of people. If a claim says that “the majority of experts agree” on something, take a few moments to conduct research into which experts they are citing and what exactly those experts say. Do not take the appeal to authority at face value.
For example, you might read that “experts agree that forcing people to wear masks is a form of dark psychology and minipulation [sic]” and feel like you should also agree since the experts know best.
However, conducting just a few minutes of research shows that these “experts” do not exist.
c. Slippery slope - a claim that implies a domino effect if a first step is taken. The structure of the fallacy is that if A, then B; if B, then C; if C, then D; and so on.
Some people believe, for example, that using robots for certain jobs means that robots will be replacing people.
The logical fallacy goes as such: If robots do one job instead of humans, then they will take over all jobs that humans do, and as such will ultimately replace people. However, the much more logical conclusion is that robots will be used to help people. You can question a slippery slope claim by considering if the chain of events seems objective, pointing out disconnects between different parts of the slope, and asking whether the slope really does lead to the outcome.
There are more logical fallacies used in the news, but hasty generalizations, appeal to authority/bandwagon approach, and slippery slope are the most common ones.
3. Evaluate provided evidence. What kinds of sources are the news article citing? Do the sources themselves seem biased? How and why did the article use these sources?
4. Take the time to do your own research. Sometimes a claim is missing important elements. Spending a few minutes conducting research to see if and how the claim is reported by other sources will help you to discern truth from fact.
5. Engage in metacognition. Metacognition simply means being aware of your thinking. The human brain tends to rely on heuristics, or mental shortcuts, to come to conclusions. Thinking about how you think will allow you to become aware of personal factors skewing your perception of the news. Do you have implicit biases that might lead you to believe certain claims over others? Metacognition is a vital critical thinking skill that will help you to identify fake news when you see it.
By recognizing the elements of a claim, being on alert for logical fallacies, evaluating provided evidence, taking the time to do your own research, and engaging in metacognition, you can critically think about whether news is real or fake.
