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The verdict is in for the #DerekChauvinTrial: The jury found the Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd guilty on all three charges. That’s a fact. But many high-profile racially-charged events lead to disinformation spreading across your social feeds. https://twitter.com/StarTribune/status/1384615785813839889
Bad actors — foreign AND domestic — are notorious for using events like this to create chaos online. Last year following Floyd’s death, disinformers spread false and misleading posts about the #BLM protests nationwide. https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-facebook-disinformation-george-floyd-unrest-politifact-2020-6
Those disinformation campaigns fueled hate and sowed division online, which is exactly what bad actors aimed to accomplish. For a quick download on the difference between misinformation and disinformation, here’s MediaWise Ambassador Joan Lunden:
SO STAY VIGILANT! Bad actors may be using your emotions for their own political gain. They want to *manipulate* how you feel AND trick you into sharing that disinformation and potentially cause conflict between you and your friends and family. When we fight, they win.
Disinformation can spread on any social media platform — from Instagram to Nextdoor. Watch out for MEMES — a favorite for bad actors looking to spread disinformation and take advantage of the #DerekChauvinTrial verdict.
You’ll likely see disinformation in memes and shareable graphics. That’s because they’re easy to make, can trigger strong emotions and spread quickly. @factcheckdotorg found this false meme that claimed Biden was endorsed by #BLM and #Antifa last year: https://www.factcheck.org/2020/10/meme-spreads-misinformation-on-presidential-endorsements/
Nobody likes to be manipulated! That’s why finding out who or what group is behind a post is crucial when racially-charged news breaks. One tried and true method via @SHEG_Stanford is lateral reading. MediaWise Ambassador @Hari explains how it works:
The bottom line is this: When you see a post about the verdict in the #DerekChauvinTrial that triggers a strong emotional reaction, *pause*. Meditate for a sec. Take a second to consider that you could be being manipulated and check the facts. You don’t HAVE to post right away.
We’re human, so naturally we’ll have opinions about the verdict, but it’s a good idea to fully digest the news and information BEFORE sharing your thoughts online, or taking what you see in your feeds as facts. For more media literacy tips be sure to follow @MediaWise.
