Information manipulation: Difference between revisions
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* "The article is a simmering mixture of equivocation, cherry-picked statistics, and outright lies. There's an eight-letter word for it we won't use to preserve our family-friendly reputation. Let's look at some specifics and hopefully help Cleveland Clinic right its ship."<br /> | * "The article is a simmering mixture of equivocation, cherry-picked statistics, and outright lies. There's an eight-letter word for it we won't use to preserve our family-friendly reputation. Let's look at some specifics and hopefully help Cleveland Clinic right its ship."<br /> | ||
=== General information === | |||
[https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/the-effects-of-subtle-misinformation-in-news-headlines The effects of subtle misinformation in news headlines.] Ullrich K H Ecker*, Stephan Lewandowsky, Ee Pin Chang, Rekha Pillai School of Psychological Science, Bristol Neuroscience, Cabot Institute for the Environment (*Corresponding author) | [https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/the-effects-of-subtle-misinformation-in-news-headlines The effects of subtle misinformation in news headlines.] Ullrich K H Ecker*, Stephan Lewandowsky, Ee Pin Chang, Rekha Pillai School of Psychological Science, Bristol Neuroscience, Cabot Institute for the Environment (*Corresponding author) | ||
=== Creative use of language === | === Creative use of language === | ||
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For example the word '''may''' is doing all the work here, when we read the [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/31/research-shows-vaping-may-bad-heart-cigarettes article], and the study it reports on, we find that short term changes in heart rate and blood pressure where detected, however nothing harmful or long term. Such things as drinking a cup of coffee, running for a bus, or a surprise gift, all cause similar changes. | For example the word '''may''' is doing all the work here, when we read the [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/31/research-shows-vaping-may-bad-heart-cigarettes article], and the study it reports on, we find that short term changes in heart rate and blood pressure where detected, however nothing harmful or long term. Such things as drinking a cup of coffee, running for a bus, or a surprise gift, all cause similar changes. | ||
Others to look out for are <nowiki>'might', ''probably', 'could' and all the usual suspects. It isn't uncommon to read X probably causes Y, but on reading the full text find out that it's not actually possible to tell, or even sometimes that in fact, it probably doesn'</nowiki>t. | |||
Such tactics can be argued to go against principles of 'good ethics' particularly where (public) health is concerned, and where not likely to be obvious, context (as provided above with coffee etc.) should be provided. This is not unreasonable, the public expects high standards, when reading about things that are used to make health choices. Please see the next picture particularly the second tweet pictured, regarding the reasons for being untruthful, and why that isn't acceptable, particularly for trusted health organisations/professionals. | |||
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==== Omitting important information ==== | ==== Omitting important information ==== | ||
[[File:Screenshot from 2022-11-01 14-11-48.png|alt=The first tweet pictured states: "In mice. But you don't say "in mice," so you are deliberately misleading readers. Why do you do this? You have done things like this consistently for years now. Misleading your followers is a violation of Truth-Telling, a fundamental moral principle in Healthcare Ethics." The second: "Deliberately violating one fundamental moral principle of healthcare ethics, Truth-Telling, to achieve a perceived paternalistic Utilitarian goal."|left|thumb|Dr Gardner, a screenshot from twitter ]] | [[File:Screenshot from 2022-11-01 14-11-48.png|alt=The first tweet pictured states: "In mice. But you don't say "in mice," so you are deliberately misleading readers. Why do you do this? You have done things like this consistently for years now. Misleading your followers is a violation of Truth-Telling, a fundamental moral principle in Healthcare Ethics." The second: "Deliberately violating one fundamental moral principle of healthcare ethics, Truth-Telling, to achieve a perceived paternalistic Utilitarian goal."|left|thumb|Dr Gardner, a screenshot from twitter ]] | ||