It's a very timely semester to teach journalism. Every single day, the news cycle brings new material for my course.
The first exam for my information gathering class consisted of screenshots of websites and tweets, unfettered access to Google and instructions to seek the truth.
I missed my perspective last month — Not just because my family had the joy of contracting Influenza A, but also because I felt that I didn't have a hot take on the current state of the world. Even when you dig out the rumors and conspiracies, the truth we are living is unpalatable.
I was prepping a lecture the other day and the textbook chapter cautioned against information cynicism. Discrediting media and experts is a page torn directly out of the totalitarian playbook. When we don't know where to turn, we turn to our leaders.
What I've learned is that we have to have something to believe in. Information can actually be verified quite quickly — most of the time with a quick Google search, sometimes with a little bit more work. You read the room and learn about the source by what other, more credible sources are saying about it. You can look up Mike Caulfield’s SIFT method to learn more.
But I've also found that I need more than information to believe in. I need to believe that there is good in the world. Because it's not just information cynicism that makes us jaded, it's fear. And I believe there's hope for the future, so I'll keep putting my pants on and showing up.
