The fight against bad sources is familiar to information professionals (IP), although never has it been as pervasive as it is today (Anderson, 2018). Fake news, as it is often referred to today, is defined as false and sensational information which has been disseminated as news reporting (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). Fake news has existed under different aliases; misinformation, conspiracy, and propaganda to name a few (Anderson, 2018). The key difference between fake news and misinformation however, lies in the intent. The creation of fake news is to intentionally disperse false information, but misinformation is the intentional or unintentional spread of untrue information.
In covid-19, we saw what was known as an ‘infodemic’, where there is an abhorrent overflow of false information everywhere (Madukwe, 2023). The dissemination of this misinformation has spread fastest through social media websites. The digital age has sped up the process of creating and disseminating misinformation. Contributing factors include the low cost of distributing digital information, the amount of information a person encounters daily in the digital age, and the wide array of tools available for creating fake information such as artificial intelligence (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). I cannot tackle the issue of misinformation in 2024, without associating the innate ties it has to social media.
Information professionals are trained in the art of evaluating information and determining the appropriateness and validity of it (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). Therefore, I would assume it is then our responsibility to the public as public servants to commit these skills to the public good. Who better to catch fake news than professionals who are trained to do so? The question circulating the information sector is not whether IP’s can identify misinformation, but rather, should they? (Andermann, 2023). It has been an irate debate over the maintaining the neutrality of information organisations vs educating the community. It is odd to perceive how these two goals have become somewhat opposing ideas, but the issue of neutrality is one still being actively discussed in academia today.
ALIA’s (2018, p. 1) statement on public library services identifies the aim as “to reduce any barriers to engagement for people from diverse backgrounds and to promote equity of access to information, activities and resources.” Therein lies the dilemma. If the mission of an information organisation is to meet as many people’s needs as possible, and provide equity of information, then some forms of combating misinformation may politicize the organization and erode the public’s trust in them (Andermann, 2023). The answer is a balance between the two. Information organisations must commit to provision of accurate information whilst remaining neutral enough to not turn patrons away due to confirmation bias and personal views (Andermann, 2023).
In essence, misinformation is an emotional issue, not a rational one (Taylor & Francis, n.d.). There are dozens of studies about how education is the best tool against misinformation. There are recommendations for literacy programs in schools, media literacy programs in public libraries, but very little information on how to actively get patrons to these programs. Adermann (2023, p. 31) conducted interviews on six of Sweden’s largest libraries on the role public libraries have in countering misinformation, and the interviews determined that often the patrons who need these programs are least likely to attend them due to confirmation bias. As I read this study, I thought; if the issue of misinformation is emotional and layered in confirmation bias, how can IP’s use social media to draw the attention of those that need it?
IP’s are not immune to misinformation on social media, and it has been long proven that individual perception is not enough to catch fake news in its tracks (Andermann, 2023). Alongside their individual skillsets, IP’s also need collegial discussions and forthright institutional social media policy regarding misinformation (Andermann, 2023).
After scouring multiple information organisation’s social media policy, very little can be found in the way of misinformation, or fake news. Rather, public libraries especially, take the firm stand on neutrality that they always have. The Cook Memorial Public Library District (2021) presented vague recommendations for employees to present content including checking their facts, citing sources, and presenting factual responses.
Even amongst academic libraries such as RMIT or CSU, there is significant lack of clarification of how to deal with misinformation. Academic libraries are functioning parts of the university they belong to, and so their policies dictate a strong deterrence in not expressing an opinion which can negatively impact their reputation. In that regard, the library’s use of social media remains very rooted in marketing the many services the library can provide, but it is not a place of advocacy in itself.
Automated systems are gaining popularity in their capacity to quickly identify misinformation online (Komendantova et al., 2021). Several popular tools for countering misinformation are Botometer, Foller.me, TinEye, Insigna, Fakespot, Newsguard, and Social Sensor (Komendantova et al., 2021). An observation of Komendantova et al’s (2021) study noted the automated tools cannot be used in isolation. They must work alongside increased societal awareness. Information organisations could be the much-needed stakeholders to increase awareness of these automated systems via broad social media campaigns whilst providing educational resources for the public to conduct evaluative research themselves (Komendantova et al., 2021).
Part of the great success of misinformation, is the visual nature of it (Ireland, 2018). Visual information can stay with certain user’s far longer than written or verbal information (Ireland, 2018). Memes are competing for users’ attentions, and Ireland (2018) suggests IP’s use the appeal of visual information to our advantage. An example of this is the Newseum ED ‘Is This Story Share-Worthy’ flowchart, which breaks down the accuracy and validity of a potential source through various quick considerations (Ireland, 2018, p. 126). Memes and flowcharts designed creatively by information professionals may help to turn the tide by appealing to a sense of immediacy instead of long walls of text or recommendations for educational programs.
IPs need to address the ways social media can be used as a tool to combat misinformation, as opposed to singularly a tool to market the services of their organization. While maintaining the neutrality of their status, there is certainly more which can be done to battle misinformation. On the topic of misinformation, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library (2020) stated, “The mission of the Library remains unchanged: to help citizens and researchers identify and locate timely, credible and trustworthy information; the tools of the trade, however, have changed.”
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Reference List
Andermann, B. H. (2023). The Role of Public Libraries in Countering Misinformation : A Swedish Perspective [Student thesis, DiVA]. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-30693
Anderson, K. E. (2018). Getting acquainted with social networks and apps: combating fake news on social media. Library Hi Tech News, 35(3), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-02-2018-0010
Australian Library and Information Association. (2018). Statement on public library services. ALIA. https://read.alia.org.au/statement-public-library-services
Cook Memorial Public Library District. (2021). Social Media Policy. Retrieved January 22, 2024 from https://www.cooklib.org/social-media-policy/
Dag Hammarskjöld Library. (2020, August). The Contribution of Libraries to the Fight Against Misinformation. United Nations. Retrieved January 22, 2024 from https://research.un.org/conferences/webinars
Ireland, S. (2018). Fake news alerts: Teaching news literacy skills in a meme world. The Reference Librarian, 59(3), 122-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2018.1463890
Komendantova, N., Ekenberg, L., Svahn, M., Larsson, A., Shah, S. I. H., Glinos, M., Koulolias, V., & Danielson, M. (2021). A value-driven approach to addressing misinformation in social media. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00702-9
Madukwe, A. (2023). Infodemics: The Role of Librarians in Countering Fake News. International Journal of Library and Information Studies, 13(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/0.35248/2231-4911.23.13.839
Taylor & Francis. (n.d.). Librarians and Fake News: “Trust me, I’m a librarian!” Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved January 22, 2024 from https://librarianresources.taylorandfrancis.com/insights/librarian-skills-development/librarians-and-fake-news/