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MoneyWi$e: Be a Responsible Information Consumer · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello, and welcome to Talking FACS, where we share information you can use
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  to strengthen your family, your community, and our state.
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  I am Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support with Family
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  and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  We are housed in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.
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  With the introduction of online sources for news and current events,
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  the opportunity for misinformation is ever-present.
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  When newspapers, radio, and television were the primary sources available for
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  news, journalists recognized that their service was a public good,
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  and as such, they had a responsibility to verify the stories they shared.
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  Now that news cycles never end and the information is available at your fingertips,
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  accuracy sometimes becomes diluted or even non-existent as anyone with an opinion,
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  whether factual or not, can publish online.
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  So our topic today focuses on being a responsible information consumer.
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  And we are going to mix things up a little bit. I'm going to move over to the guest chair.
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  And I am your host today. I am Dr. Nichole Huff, Assistant Extension Professor
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  for Family Finance and Resource Management.
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  And I am happy to move out of the hot seat and let you be my guest for MoneyWi$e
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  on Talking FACS. Welcome, Mindy.
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  Thank you, Nichole. I am happy to be here. And as you mentioned in the introduction,
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  anyone who has an opinion and the desire to share it, and that's a lot of people
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  these days, can publish online.
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  So we see so many stories pop up in our newsfeed, but they have no basis in facts.
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  So what happens, Mindy, when these stories get shared over and over again?
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  When any story or picture or video is shared thousands or millions of times,
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  it becomes what is known as viral.
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  And we all know what happens when a viral infection starts in our bodies as
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  just a little single tiny germ, and that becomes a big infection because it
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  duplicates over and over again as it makes us sick.
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  And then we share that with others, and it makes them sick too.
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  So, viral stories do the same thing, especially when a story is not true or
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  a picture or a video has been manipulated.
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  It just depends on unsuspecting users to share that story over and over again,
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  causing it to figuratively infect the brains of everyone who reads it or sees it.
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  And thus, the viral piece of media has caused us all to be impacted by the germ it is spreading.
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  So now let me be clear. Viral stories, pictures and videos can also be true stories.
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  So we can have viral stories that show up to us and it is just our responsibility
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  to verify the accuracy of the media that we share.
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  You know, that seems like a pretty hard task. So on MoneyWi$e,
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  we always talk about being a wise consumer.
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  Well, we consume a lot of things. And information is also something we consume.
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  And so we need to be wise consumers of information.
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  So tell us, so how can we tell the difference between stories or media that
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  are based in truth and those that are simply someone's opinion or even worse
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  that have been planted specifically to mislead?
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  And so just like fraud, financial fraud, we have an information fraud as well.
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  So how can we tell the difference? Yeah, that is the...
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  Kind of just that bait and switch that we have to deal with.
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  And so, the News Literacy Project has identified five key factors that we can
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  apply to anything, whether it is a story that we're reading or really anything
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  that we're consuming, whether it's a good or service.
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  And these are authenticity, source, evidence, context, and reasoning.
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  Okay, so help us as we learn to weed out misinformation, let's start with authenticity.
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  How can we ensure that a story or a picture is authentic?
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  So the first thing we're going to see is that headline. So let's start there.
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  If the headline and the story don't match, that's a red flag.
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  So if we're going to know if they match, we're going to have to read that story.
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  And sometimes we share things without ever reading the story.
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  So don't ever, forever share something if you haven't read that story.
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  So maybe that should be my first rule.
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  Don't share something you haven't read. Of course, you should always be aware
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  that stories, pictures, and even video can be manipulated.
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  So you always have to carefully evaluate everything you read, see, and hear.
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  And then that naturally leads me to the second factor. You want to ensure that
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  the source is trustworthy.
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  Reliable news outlets are going to share their sources and where they get their information.
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  Follow the bread crumbs to make sure that everything checks out.
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  And if you don't find sources, that's another red flag.
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  Most credible news outlets will publish their ethical standards.
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  So check those out too to make sure that they are standards that are as high as your own.
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  And so my second rule is don't share unless you are comfortable with the sources
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  and evidence that back up the media.
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  Okay, that is good because evidence is very important to everything that we do in Extension.
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  And of course, it should back up the stories we see online.
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  How does evidence factor into misinformation?
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  Of course, we want to see evidence behind anything we read or hear or see.
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  If stories are presented without evidence, I would hesitate to believe it.
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  And even when evidence is presented, I want to verify that the evidence is credible.
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  Sometimes a story might be presented with a picture, but the picture might be
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  of something completely unrelated, or it might be from some different time or a different event.
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  So you really have to do a little detective work, and you can't believe everything you see.
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  And that's probably the biggest point that I need to make today is don't believe
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  everything you see. The same goes for context.
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  If something seems out of place or if the evidence seems to be in conflict with
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  reality, keep digging and try to get to the truth of the story or the situation.
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  Once again, don't share something until you are 100% satisfied that it's factual.
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  If it feels like too much work to get to the truth, then just hit delete.
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  Yeah, I love the second criteria, evidence, because it really is important.
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  And with artificial intelligence and AI, and we really need to be vetting our
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  sources so that we don't become one of those germs that spread that misinformation.
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  Yeah, we cannot be part of the problem, right? We've got to be part of the solution.
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  Absolutely. And so it seems like if we are programmed to hit delete rather than
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  share, this conversation might not be necessary.
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  So there's another factor to discuss.
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  What can you tell me about reasoning?
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  Well, we should only share stories that are supported by solid reasoning.
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  And that might be a little bit difficult for some of us.
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  But if you share a story or a picture or a video that goes against common sense
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  or your instincts tell you that something just feels off, go with your gut and question it.
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  You don't have to believe everything you see, and you certainly don't have to
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  share it just because it is there.
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  It doesn't matter who said it or shared it before you.
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  It doesn't matter if it was your favorite teacher or, you know, trusted minister even.
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  You know, you can use your own judgment.
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  So finally, my third rule is trust your gut.
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  Yeah, that is a good rule as we are looking at being responsible consumers.
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  All three of those are great rules. And so the first week of the month is when
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  we share our Money Wise topics on Talking FACS.
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  So how do these concepts help us prevent the spread of information and factor into, you know,
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  being a responsible consumer and financial consumer awareness and just,
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  you know, basic consumer awareness?
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  Well, let's just consider Caveat Emptor. That is probably one of the first concepts
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  we learned in our consumer economics
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  classes, which is the Latin phrase meaning, let the buyer beware.
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  Of course, it is the buyer's responsibility to do their due diligence when purchasing
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  a good or service to ensure that they are paying a fair price and getting a
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  good product and not getting scammed.
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  And we do have consumer protection agencies to help when things go awry,
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  but it can be a long process if you need assistance.
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  Exactly. However, if you apply the five factors of misinformation to sales ads
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  or even to product claims,
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  you can save yourself lots of time, money, and aggravation by recognizing products
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  that you might want to just pass right on over.
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  And then, of course, various types of scams and fraud might be more easily
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  recognized if you look at them with a critical eye and apply some of the misinformation factors.
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  The old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is holds water.
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  We really do need to trust our own instincts.
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  And of course, you can always trust your Cooperative Extension Service to provide
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  evidence-based information.
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  If you want more information about being an informed consumer,
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  you can always reach out to your local extension agent for family and consumer sciences.
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  Well, Mindy, thank you so much for joining me today on Talking FACS and for
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  this edition of MoneyWi$e.
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  It's been fun sitting on this side of the microphone. Well, I'm happy to share any time.
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  And if you are joining us, you are listening to Talking FACS and you can find
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  us wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition,
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  health, resource management, family development, and civic engagement.
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  If you enjoyed today's podcast, have a question, or a show topic idea,
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  leave a like and a comment on Facebook at UKFCSEXT, or send us an email at UKFCSEXT@UKY.edu.
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  Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local Extension
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  agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
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  We build strong families. We build Kentucky. It starts with us.
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  Music.