Campaign urges Canadians to employ critical thinking
TORONTO – The Canadian Journalism Foundation launched its new Doubt It? campaign today, which the group hopes will help Canadians learn the skills and tools to combat fake news and misinformation.
“Its goal is simple: teach Canadians to understand the difference between fact-based journalism and fake news in our digital and social media-driven world,” reads the press release.
The campaign uses humour, actionable advice and collaborations with respected Canadian media personalities to remind people of three simple steps anyone can take to put their inner skeptic to work: Doubt it? Check it. Challenge it, reads the release.
"We are using humour for this very serious topic to encourage people to engage, share and ultimately fight back against fake news and misinformation," said Natalie Turvey, president and executive director of the CJF. "We want Canadians to be savvy when it comes to the information they consume. Be skeptical – if you doubt it, then check it, then challenge it and call it out. The CJF believes that everyone needs access to reliable sources of news and information to be engaged in our democracy."
Doubt It? builds on the CJF's earlier partnership with CIVIX on NewsWise, a news literacy program to provide school-aged Canadians an understanding of the role of journalism in a healthy democracy and the tools to find and filter information online. NewsWise is supported by a grant from Google.org.
Click here to see tips, links to third-party fact-checking sites, videos explaining simple fact-checking techniques, and a fake news quiz that puts visitors' skills to the test.
It will be promoted with a digital ad campaign as well as public service announcements from CTV National News anchor Lisa LaFlamme, co-host of The Morning Show on Global News Radio 640 Toronto Supriya Dwivedi, YouTube stars Michell Moffit and Gregory Brown, and retired CBC News chief correspondent and anchor Peter Mansbridge.
"Now more than ever, people are getting their news from online sources and social media," added Turvey in the release. "Access to unprecedented amounts of information means Canadians must continually sort and assess what we see."
