Now that you have our two science camps  and your Science Communication projects behind you  and are  turning your focus  toward the NCEA Externals in a  few months time  I thought I’d wind up  this year’s Science Academy mis/disinformation theme – “The Truth is out  There-  But Can You Find It?  with a short post highlighting some case studies and  the situation here in NZ

As some of you know I cycle to and from  campus every day  along  Dunedin’s  wonderful  West Harbour Cycleway.

In the process of researching for this post  I came across this cycle lane  article from Wellington:

The Mystery of the Killer Bike Lane
A chain of three cafes closed down and the owner blamed cycleways. But none of the cafes were anywhere near one. What is happening?
Joel MacManus from  The Spinoff investigates.

 Just how misinformed  are Kiwis?

Half of NZ has at least one misinformed belief – Expert Reaction

See also:

The Disinformation Project

The Disinformation Project is New Zealand’s only independent research group providing best practice monitoring, research and consulting on disinformation and its impacts.
They provide research and guidance to a range of organisations and sectors alongside commentary and resources to help Aotearoa understand and respond to disinformation.

Some tips from overseas on how to analyse an article for fake news from Central Washington University Libraries

Misinformation & Fake News

A guide to discerning fake news sources, including articles, videos, and links to other resources. 

And finally, closer  to home  this TVNZ Investigative Documentary on TVNZ Plus is worth a watch:

Web of Chaos 

A deep dive into the world of disinformation, exploring why it’s spreading at pace throughout Aotearoa and the world, with specialists warning of striking consequences for social cohesion and democracy

“Nobody said it would be easy”

Stay  critical!

Stay alert!

Keep searching for the truth!

It IS out there!