Big Idea: Think back to all of the things that make you click, like, or retweet. Think about what you have learned about bias, point of view, and engaging an audience. Whenever you evaluate a webpage, be sure to look at Who? What? When? Where? Why? Answering those questions will help you know when to trust a source AND when someone may be trying to trick you.
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Webpage for review: Aspartame's Hidden Dangers
“The content on the page displayed above was written by 'Dr. Joseph Mercola', who owns and operates 'Mercola.com', which refers to itself as 'The World’s #1 Natural Health Website'. On this particular page about aspartame, Dr. Mercola quotes a number of experts who have discovered that:
- Aspartame is responsible for over 85 percent of adverse food reactions to food additives (this number is 75% in the video).
- Five people have died from aspartame poisoning.
- It is associated with birth defects, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and many more.
- A conspiracy between drug and chemical companies prevents this from being known.
- Government leaders and medical associations are oblivious to this danger or have been manipulated.”
“Though these statements are passionate, further research is needed before accepting them as facts.”
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To find out if he is reliable, we would need to find out:
WHO he is?
WHAT is in the information -- is it emotional? Is it intended to trigger emotions in viewers? Is it possible to find another website that includes similar facts?
WHEN was the information posted?
WHERE do we find the website? (It’s .com -- so, it’s commercial -- perhaps not affiliated with a hospital…)
WHY might we use it? Answer: We probably shouldn’t because we cannot confirm:
- His expertise
- That his facts are facts
- That his information is still relevant
- That his information doesn’t benefit him or others
Did he trick you -- did it seem like a site you should trust?
How does the language on the page trick a viewer?
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Following what you have learned about web pages, answer the following questions:
- What has tricked you before? What websites that you have used or know of have tricked you?
- Choose some rumor or story you think might be false. Go to the snopes website to see if it’s true. What did you learn?
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“Deconstructing Web Pages.” MediaSmarts. USE, UNDERSTAND, & CREATE: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools, mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/secure-comics.
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Link to FCPS LIS Databases |
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