The Pierce College Library hosted a misinformation workshop on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Library Classroom and was organized by Pierce Services and Reference Librarian Melissa Cober. The session aimed to enhance students’ information literacy skills and how to detect false information.
The workshop covered topics such as identifying fake news, understanding media bias, and practicing lateral reading, a technique used by professional fact-checkers.
“We’re going to be talking about what fake news and misinformation are and what they look like in practice,” Cober said. “Then we’ll talk about news media bias. The biggest thing I want students to learn is a technique called lateral reading.”
Cober highlighted the importance of improving these skills for students.
“There’s an opportunity for a lot more students on campus to build up their information literacy skills,” Cober said.
The primary goal of the workshop was to equip students with the tools necessary to navigate online information effectively and discern truth from misinformation,.” Cober said. “This workshop is to make sure that students are better able to navigate information on the web.”
Looking ahead, Cober plans to continue these valuable workshops next semester, focusing on literary analysis, Al in research and citation skills.
