FAYETTEVILLE -- Burgeoning journalists at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville received a crash course in detecting election misinformation and disinformation and developing digital reporting skills Thursday as part of a new program from the Radio Television Digital News Association and Google News Initiative.
Though this training has been brought to nearly all 50 states, Thursday marked the first visit to a college campus, and "I'm thankful to Google for awarding us the grant," said Dan Shelley, president and chief executive officer of the Radio Television Digital News Association. "It's important for the next generation of journalists to have the tools they need to cover elections and campaigns thoroughly" and correctly, because that builds public trust.
"We're getting to them early to teach them how to (cover news) objectively, fairly, and transparently," said Shelley, who was previously senior vice president of Digital Content Strategy for iHeartMedia. In a national survey completed last year by the Radio Television Digital News Association, respondents were clear that if a news outlet has even one "bad" journalist, they won't trust other reporters from that organization, so -- in this case -- "one bad apple really does spoil the whole bunch."
Consequently, it's imperative for journalists to be trustworthy sources, said Shelley, who served in various leadership and managerial roles for radio and television stations in New York, Milwaukee, and his hometown of Springfield, Mo., which is also home to his alma mater, Missouri State University.
"I hope this information" presented Thursday makes the students who received it "more comfortable that you can serve your communities when you become professionals," Shelley said.
In addition to his discussion with members of UA-Fayetteville's School of Journalism and Strategic Media on Thursday, Daniel Petty --the ProPublica director of audience strategy who led the training on campus -- also conducted a session open to the general public.
"These skills are great for journalists, but also transferable" to others, said Petty, who previously worked for MediaNews Group and the Denver Post. Artificial Intelligence is now "everywhere -- some AI is obvious, but some is harder to spot, because it's a lot more subtle -- (so) it's more important than ever to be more skeptical."
However, there is a positive to this "whole new world," added Petty, who has consulted for news organizations in Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka on behalf of the International Center for Journalists and the U.S. State Department. Well-trained journalists who cut through misinformation to present facts can be more valuable than ever to the public.
"We can all fall victim to misinformation," so it's paramount to understand it, said junior Cooper Gant, who is president of the university's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), sports editor of the Arkansas Traveler (the student newspaper), and studying journalism and political science. "We're covering elections hands-on, (and) we're learning tools to detect AI" and other potentially misleading sources.
"I think our students know how (widespread) misinformation is -- it's alarming where we are today -- and they're in a position to do something about it," said Gina Holland Shelton, interim director of the journalism school's Center for Media Ethics and Literacy. "They're on social media a lot, so they see the flood that comes in, and they want to be armed with the tools" to combat it.
Though journalists can't ignore X -- formerly Twitter -- because of the breaking news and tips on the platform, as well as its "outsized influence on the culture," it has become "a much more freewheeling place where content moderation isn't what it was a few years ago" since it was purchased by Elon Musk, so journalists must be more vigilant on the platform, Petty said. "It has staying power, but there are bots all over, (so) it's not the real world."
Trust in journalists has eroded considerably in recent years in the U.S., but that follows a similar downward trend in trust of other institutions, from religion to government, Petty said. And as news outlets operate with fewer journalists, members of the public are less likely to know and/or meet journalists, which provides space for thoughts of bias to enter their minds, so it's pivotal for journalists to be visible in communities and "talk to people face to face."
Transparency is also integral, as journalists need to explain "how we reached our conclusions and why we decided to pursue the story," said Shelley. "Also, we need to present all sides, not 'both sides,'" and journalists ought to ask subjects questions the public wants asked, "not your own questions."
There's "definitely a trust crisis" for traditional media, especially among youth, noted junior Charlie Brandom, copy editor for the Arkansas Traveler and treasurer for the university's SPJ chapter. "Our generation is going to alternative media, instead of traditional media."
Journalists from campus news outlets will be covering local, state and national elections this fall, and this training will buttress what they're already learning in classes and equip them for election coverage at a time when election disinformation and misinformation is on the rise, according to Shelton. Thursday's training was received by more than 200 UA faculty and students.
"We have nearly 900 students in this school," but that includes those interested in fields like public relations and advertising, and Shelton hopes Thursday's training -- and other events the school has scheduled for the rest of this year -- will encourage students to become professional journalists and to take on challenging beats, like politics, she said. "We have a lot of students who want to work in communications, but we need journalists -- and we need them on the political beat -- (so) we're attacking" the issue.