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PADstone 184

Research guide for students completing the FYE or PADstone 184 course.

Information Intake

How frequently do you read the news? (physical paper, mobile phone, any format)
Daily: 45 votes (28.13%)
Weekly: 66 votes (41.25%)
Monthly: 49 votes (30.63%)
Total Votes: 160
How comfortable do you feel evaluating news sources?
Very unsure: 5 votes (3.29%)
Often unsure: 33 votes (21.71%)
Fairly comfortable: 102 votes (67.11%)
Very comfortable: 12 votes (7.89%)
Total Votes: 152
When reading news stories, how frequently do you fact check material found in the article?
All the time: 7 votes (4.32%)
Frequently: 48 votes (29.63%)
Occasionaly: 52 votes (32.1%)
Rarely: 43 votes (26.54%)
Never: 12 votes (7.41%)
Total Votes: 162

Evaluting Media for Credibility

1) How do we know if media source are credible?

2) What do credentials look like in the film industry?

Evaluating Sources Using the CCOW Method

Credentials - Investigate the credentials of whoever created the information with questions like:

  • Do they have experience or expertise in the subject they're discussing? Do they work in a field that qualifies them to talk about the subject?
  • What's their educational background? Do they have an advanced degree in the subject under discussion?
  • Do they have any other experience that might make them a good source of information? For instance, an eyewitness to an earthquake doesn't have to be a seismologist to give good information about what it was like to experience that event.

Claims - What claims are they making? Is the information they're providing accurate? Can we verify its accuracy?

Objectives - What did they hope to accomplish by creating the information?

Worldview - This element is connected to objectives in that it deals with bias and examining potential bias behind a publication. Every source will have some degree of bias and that's expected, the questions you're asking here are: How does this source frame the situation? What language are they using that helps me understand their perspective or worldview?

OneSearch

OneSearch

Select Trade Publications & Journals

Select Web Resources

Major U.S. Film Festivals