A Fishy Tale

(align:"=><=")[<img src = "https://i.ibb.co/s119wCj/ver-1-color.png"> Who would you like to play as? ............ [[Bilal]] | [[Sumudu]] | [[Mr. Perera]]]

(text-colour:red)[--image + narration-- ] “Sri Lanka—a beautiful island nation surrounded by the Indian Ocean, rich in cultural diversity and home to a harmonious blend of Muslim, Tamil, Catholic, and Buddhist communities. The coastal towns are especially known for their vibrant seafood markets, where the freshest fish is sold daily, providing livelihoods to thousands of fishermen.” (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ ............ [[> Continue..]] ]

''CHAPTER 1'' --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ [[> Continue to Chapter 1]] ]

(text-colour:red)[--image + narration--] “But one Sunday morning, everything changed. A sudden wave of misinformation spread through WhatsApp, Facebook, and viral videos, claiming that the sea water was contaminated. The message warned that eating fish could cause severe illness with no cure. As quickly as it spread, panic gripped the town.” --- [[Continue->CHAPTER 1]]

(bg:red)[--image--] //The next day, Bilal goes to school. He is still bothered by what is happening. In the classroom, many students are also talking about the same topic. Bilal keeps quiet and listen. You hear one of your friends. // Bilal's friend: Hey, did you get this message about fish being not good? I forwarded this to many of my contacts and asked them to share it too. We need to make sure everyone knows its not good to eat fish now!” Do you agree with your friend? --- [[> Yes, that is the correct thing to do.]] [[> No, I don’t want to tell others without really not knowing what is happening.]]]

(bg:red)[--image of Fishy giving advise--] Wait! Are you sure about that? Sharing unconfirmed information in social media platforms can lead to the circulation of misinformation and disinformation. This can create a phenomenon called (text-colour:red)[''"an infodemic"''] which makes the controlling of such wrong information quite difficult creating negative impact in the societies. Always make sure to check the accuracy and relevance of a message or a news before sharing, resharing and forwarding it. Also, remember that //"a friend or a friend of a friend said"// is not a valid confirmation point. --- [[> Let's try this again!->> How are we going to survive this?]]

//Bilal decides not to share the news without knowing for sure that this is true. After all, there are too many conflicting information. There is no way to know what is true and what is not. Bilal notices that his friend is not very happy about this. But he feels good about your choice.// --- [[> Collect 10 Points!->> The principal overhears]]

(bg:red)[--image--] //Bilal hears his father and mother speaking outside. It is strange because Father usually doesn’t close shop until evening. You go out to listen. // Bilal's father: Nobody wants to buy fish because of this. He shows you the videos and news messages circulating in messaging apps and social media. //You read the comments under the social media posts and realize that many people have decided to not eat fish for the foreseeable future.// --- [[> How are we going to survive this?]]

"I am impressed! You did the right thing.", Bilal hears someone from behnd him. //To his surprise, he sees the school principal, Mr. Kamalan. // The principal: I was passing by when I heard you kids talking about what is happening in our community. Personally, I also belive that we don't have enough information to decide whether what everyone is saying true or not. I also noticed that there was an article on this in today's newspaper. //He shows Bilal the news article. It reads, "The Great Fish Scare! Is this the next Pandemic?". Bilal feels a chill running down his spine. // --- [[> But principal sir, how do we know what exactly is happneing?]]

The principal: Well, I was on my way to meet our teacher in charge of Media Studies, Ms. Janaki. She is the best person to ask these things. //Bilal remembers Ms. Janaki. She is well known for her kindness and knowledge in critical media literacy. She also used to be a student in journalism and worked at leading national a media station before becoming a teacher.// The principal: Would you like to come with me? I think you are very curious abou this too. --- [[> Yes, I want to go now and learn more from Ms. Janaki.]] [[> No, it's almost the time for classes to start. We can go during the break time.]]

*Trinnnnnnng~!!!* //You hear the bell marking the first period of the school day. // The principal: Oh, unfortunately Bilal, we will have to wait until the lunch break. I don't want to take you away from your class. And I believe Ms. Janaki must also be busy with her own classes now. How about we meet at my office later? We can discuss this matter while having lunch. After agreeing on this Bilal goes back to his class. He feels very excited about what he talked with the principal and cannot wait until the lunch break begins. --- [[Wait until the lunch break and go to the principal's office->> Meeting the principal]]

Bilal: Ohh... I really want to go. But our classes are about to start principal sir. Can we come and meet you both during the lunch time? //Mr. Kamalan starts to laugh.// The principal: Wow! You kids are even more responsible than me! Actually, you are right. I also have to attend to some work. And I think Ms. Janaki also have claases coming up. Let's all meet at my office during the lunch time. I will invite her as well. Thank you for being mindful about this Bilal. I am looking forward to seeing you during lunch. --- [[> Next->> Meeting the principal]]

//Bilal knocks on the principal's office door. He has his lunch box in one hand and while waiting for a response from the otherside, he feels very anxious at the same time. This is a very exciting opportunity for him but at the same time, to have a one-on-one meeting with the principal and the teacher in charge of media studies is a big deal for any college student. // "Come in!" //Bilal hears from inside. He opens the door very slowly and scan the room before entering. He can see the principal sitting at his table and Ms. Janaki, the teacher in charge of media studies, sitting on the other side. They both look at you and smile.// The principal: Ah Bilal! You are just in time. Come in and join us. --- [[> Take a seat at the table]]

Ms. Janaki: Bilal, I was really happy to hear that you have taken an interest about this case. We are not just educators and learners here. We also have a role as responsible media consumers and global citizens to be mindful when we deal with the information we see in social media and news platforms. The principal: Yes, I myself found it very confusing and troubling. There is not much information we can take seriously at this point. But the rumors and baseless news content like this can creat a big problem. Where did you first hear about this, Bilal? --- [[> Tell them about what you heard from your father and his experience at the fish market]]

The principal: Wow... this is exactly what I was worried about. We don't even know the reason for the dying fish around the sea area here. But people are spreading baseless rumours creating a whole ruckus. If this keeps on going, the fishey communities will suffer greatly. And the price of fish will increase significantly. I am sure this will also create opportunities for unethical bussinesses, political movements and other similar groups to exploit the situation. Ms. Janaki: Exactly, principal sir! Situations like this will only complicate themselves if the people don't act responsibly. Sharing unverified information and speculations based on rumours will only have a bad impact to our communities. This can create even a greater threat nationally imposing challenges to peaceful co-existance between communities. // Listening to this, Bilal's mind runs into different scenarios. What could have been the reason behind these dead fish? Who started the circulation of social media posts? Why are the people reacting mindlessly to this situation, creating an even bigger challenge? And most importantly, why are the newspapers also sharing this news with basesless, unverified information? --- [[> But how do we address this situation?]]

Ms. Janaki: Well, the first thing is recognizing that this is probably a form of either (text-colour:red)[misinformation] or (bg:red)[disinformation]. Bilal, do you know what misinformation and disinformation is? --- [[> Yes, I know what misinformation and disinformation is!]] [[> No, what is that?]]

Ms. Janaki: Ok, simplay put, its like this. Both misinformation and disinformation refers to the spread of false information. However, they difere from the intent they carry. If someone is spreading false information without realizing the information is false or by mistake, we call that "misinformation". If someone is spreading false information deliberately to mislead audiences and to create harm, we call that "disinformation". This is the foundation of critical media literacy itself. Don't ever forget this ok? --- [[> Yes, I will keep this in mind from now on!]]

Bilal: I have heard about this from a video I saw in social media. If I remember correctly, both misinformation and disinformation are quite similar. But it differs from their intent. Ms. Janaki: Amazing Bilal! That is absolutely correct. Let me also explain a bit more. --- [[Listen to the explanation.->> No, what is that?]]

Learning Milestone! * Misinformation: false information generated by mistake, without an intention to cause harm or trick the audiences * Disinformation: false information generated intentionally to cause harm or trick the audiences --- [[Collect 10 Points!->How do we identify misinformation and disinformation?]]

Principal: But Ms. Janaki, there is another thing. How do we identify misinformation and disinformation? Most of the time, they go unnoticed with all the other information we get, it is impossible to say if something is false or not. Ms. Janaki: That is very true. I have seen many times, most content in these categories are difficult to notice. Especailly, disinformation developed to intentionally mislead people can be very tricky. I myself, use two key methods to identify potential false information as a regular practice. Have you heard about the (text-colour:red)[//"5 Ws and H Framework"//] or the (text-colour:red)[//"CRAAP Test"//]? You and the principal look at each other for a second. What method would you like to know about? --- [[> What is 5 Ws and H Framework?]] [[> Can you tell us about the CRAAP Test]]

Ms. Janaki: Of course, CRAAP stands for (text-colour:red)[//Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy//], and (text-colour:red)[//Purpose//]. This is mainly used to assess the reliability of information. There are a couple of questions we can ask ourselves to evaluate each dimention of CRAAP. Using that, anyone can conduct this test. These are the questions: 0. //Currency: //Is the information up todate? 0. //Relevance: //Does it address the topic effectively? 0. //Authority:// Is the source credible? 0. //Accuracy:// Is the information supported by evidence? 0. //Purpose:// Is there an intention to inform, persuade, or mislead? We can use this test on the fish poisoning articles we have seen in the newspapers and social media to see if they are reliable enough to be taken seriously or not. --- [[> Use the CRAAP Test to analyse the situation]]

Ms. Janaki: Ok, so the 5 Ws and H Framework is one of the most well-known and globally used methods to identify false information. Basically, the five Ws and the letter H stands for a total of 6 questions you need to ask yourself before trusting or reacting to any form of information you see on a media platform. Once you start questioning these things, you are able to have a better idea of whether this information is likely true or false. This is the basis of this method. The 6 questions goes like this: 0. (text-colour:blue)[W]ho is the source of the information? 0. (text-colour:blue)[W]hat is the claim being made? 0. (text-colour:blue)[W]hen was this information published? 0. (text-colour:blue)[W]here did the information originate? 0. (text-colour:blue)[W]hy might this information have been created? and, 0. (text-colour:blue)[H]ow was the information obtained or shared? In this case, we can use this method of questioning to evaluate the poisoned fish story in this newspaper and social media and see if there are any inconsistencies, and biases. --- [[> Use the 5 Ws and H Framework to analyse the situation]]

//After learning about the 5 Ws and H Framework, Bilal tries to apply it to the poisoned fish related stories he has seen so far. He realized that most of the content he saw being shared were originally posed by individuals and accounts that he did not know and had real credentials. And some of them were screenshots of WhatsApp messages that has been shared in groups with no details about the sender, the date/ time posted or their affiliations. And many of these stories had conflicting narratives with many inconsistencies as to what the reason behind this situation. Some claimed international consipracies while the others claimed it is an act of God. But all of them had one thing in common and that is the lack of evidence for their claims and asking audience to share the message. He also realized that some of these posts had actually shared this news much earlier, even before the day of the incident was first witnessed! How can that they knew about this situation even before it took place? Using the 5 Ws and H Framework alongside the CRAAP Test can sometimes help you analyse these incidents even better. // --- [[> Check out how to use the CRAAP Test ->> Can you tell us about the CRAAP Test]] [[> Continue ->> Finish the 2 methods]]

Learning Milestone! You have learned two key methods in identifying false information; the 5 Ws and H Framework and the CRAAP Test. Well done! Be sure to use these new learnings when you are dealing with news and information you see in your day-to-day life. --- [[> Collect 10 Points! ->> Continue to Fact Checking]]

//After learning about the 5 Ws and H Framework, Bilal tries to apply it to the poisoned fish related stories he has seen so far. He notices that on social media platforms most of the updates to the stories being shared have been populated within a specific timeframe as if they were planned together to be published at the same time. Also, most of the content he saw being shared were originally posed by individuals and accounts that he did not know and had real credentials. At the same time, the news stories in both social media and newspapers were both lacking any reasonable evidence for their claims. This was concerning as they all had various theories and inconsistencies which made it difficult to understand the real situation correctly. Also, the intentions behind these news stiries being circulated was mostly to persuade people from consuming fish and at the same time to accuse different parties for what is happening. This was indeed a red flag in Bilal's mind. Using the 5 Ws and H Framework alongside the CRAAP Test can sometimes help you analyse these incidents even better. // --- [[> What is 5Ws and H Framework?]] [[> Continue ->> Finish the 2 methods]]

The principal: Amazing! I had not heard about these before. Now I can use this thinking when I see suspicious and concerning information... Ms. Janaki: That is exactly what we need to practice as Global Citizens! Checking such suspicious and concerning information in different media platforms and identifying whether they are true or not is a whole process. Do you know what it is called, Bilal? --- [[> I am not sure...->> Fact Checking!]] [[> Fact Checking!]]

Ms. Janaki: Ah-ha! It is called (text-colour:red)[''//"Fact Checking"//'']. Fact checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of information shared in various media sources. It's a crucial skill in today's information-rich environment, where misinformation and disinformation can spread rapidly. In addition to the key methods that we already discussed, there are couple of other things we do in professional fact checking. For example... * Cross-referencing, which is comparing information across multiple reputable sources to confirm its accuracy * Tracing claims back to their original sources * Understanding the potential biases of the source and how they might influence the information presented * Recognizing common errors in reasoning that can lead to false conclusions ... can be part of this. --- [[> Ms. Janaki, I have also heard that there are online tools we can use to do this. Is that right?-->Online Tools for fact checking]]

Ms. Janaki: Absolutely! There are some very advanced tools we can use online to do some of these verifications and fact checking tasks for free. Most of us are not aware about it, but using these tools can be really useful for being vigilent and making informed decisions. For example, imagine the images being circulated about these dead fish in the sea. I realized that most of these images people use for their social media posts and articles are actually not even relevant to this case. They are photographs from different countries taken years ago. I managed to verufy this by using this technique called, (text-colour:red)[//''"Reverse Image Searching".''//] Image reverse search is a technique that allows you to use an image as a search query to find related images and information online. You simply have to go to a webiste which offers this service and upload the image you want to check. Then it will let you know if this image has been used before or if this is an origial image related to the case you are fact checking. Platforms such as, //Google Images, TinEye, and Yandex Images// offer this service for free. --- <a href='https://images.google.com/' target='_blank'>> Check out Google Images Reverse Image Search</a> <a href='https://tineye.com/' target='_blank'>> Check out TinEye Reverse Image Search</a> <a href='https://yandex.com/images/' target='_blank'>> Check out Yandex Images Reverse Image Search</a> [[> More fact checking tools]]

The Principal: I have also heard about these websites dedicated for fact checking. They do research on certain claims and information that are potentially false and rapidly being circulated. They have professionals who are good at research and fact checking so they can quickly do the background checks of such information and provide clarifications to the public. Those platforms can also be very helpful for journalists, content creators, and general public. Ms. Janaki: Yes, that is so true. There are some very reliable fact checking platforms we can use to fact check these incidents. //Fact Crescendo, AP Fact Check and Hashtag Generation Fact Check// can be some good examples for these. I am sure if we check in some of these web platforms, we might actually be able to find some reports about this poisoned fish scare too. --- <a href='https://english.factcrescendo.com/' target='_blank'>> Check out Fact Crescendo</a> <a href='https://apnews.com/ap-fact-check' target='_blank'>> Check out AP Fact Check</a> <a href='https://hashtaggeneration.org/fact-check/' target='_blank'>> Check out Hashtag Generation Fact Check</a> [[> Continue with a fact check]]

//Bilal tries to do a reverse image search of the images that has been circulating on the dead fish in the sea from yesterday. To his surprise all of the images he search comes up with results relating to a incident that happened years ago in Indonesia, following a typhonethat happened near a small fishery village. He is also unable to find any similar images from the search histories in any of the reverse image searching platforms relating to his village. He realizes that the images that are being circulated have been used out of context. At the same time, he visits a couple of fact checking platforms to see if there are any reports about the dead fish and the sea water being contaminated. He finds reports warning that there has been no valid proof that this case is true and advising the general public to not share this false news which can cause conflict and harm within the community. With this, Bilal is confident that this incident is very likey to be a case of misinformation or disnfiormation. // --- [[Continue->> Learning milestone 3]]

Learning Milestone! Well done! You have discovered about the Fact Checking and online tools you can use for simple fact checking tasks on information you encounter in your day-to-day life. Make sure to make good use of these learnings and tools to stay informed. --- [[> Well done! Collect 10 points and continue.]]