Judging Online Information Flashcards
Sensationalized
adjective
News that is presented in a way to make it as shocking or exciting as possible
* Most things on television nowadays seem very sensationalized.
* Recent reports on Trump are quite sensationalized.
Evaluate
verb
To judge the quality or value of something
* It’s been rather hard to evaluate these results.
* It’s important to evaluate what you read by yourself.
Determine
verb
To make a strong decision
* We have determined to close these businesses.
* I have to determine which school to join.
Trustworthy
adjective
Able to be trusted
* I believe this to be a very trustworthy website.
* He always seemed to be trustworthy.
Thorough
adjective
Detailed and careful
* I made sure to give the document a thorough revision.
* After a thorough search we still found nothing.
Make a claim
verbal phrase
To say that something is true
* She made a strange claim about her manager.
* They didn’t make any claims to deny what happened.
Skeptical
adjective
Doubting that something is true
* I’m pretty skeptical about what I just read.
* It’s important to stay skeptical about what you hear.
Keep an eye out
(for something)
idiom
To carefully watch for something to appear / happen
* I’ve been keeping an eye out for a good new coffeeshop.
* Please try to keep an eye out for any new articles on this issue.
Distort the truth
verbal phrase
To change something so that it is false or wrong
* Fox News seems to be distorting the truth on that issue.
* They were careful to not distort the truth.
Broad generalization
adjective - noun
A statement or assumption about something that doesn’t look at nuance or consider individual differences
* He made a broad generalization about German people.
* Many are making broad generalizations about the people of Israel.
Shed new light
(on something)
verbal phrase
To make something easier to understand because new information is known about it
* That paper was able to shed new light on his affair.
* They were able to shed new light on this issue.
Confirmation bias
noun
Seeing new evidence as proof of one’s existing beliefs
* One should be careful of confirmation bias.
* Having confirmation bias is sometimes hard to see.
Reinforce one’s existing beliefs
verbal phrase
Interpreting information in ways that confirm what one already believes
* Confirmation bias tend to reinforce people’s existing beliefs.
* Social media algorithms tend to reinforce users’ existing beliefs.
Look at something objectively
verbal phrase
To see something without being influenced by personal feelings or opinions
* It’s sometimes hard to look at new facts objectively.
* You should try and look at his ideas objectively.
Assumption
noun
Something that one accepts as true without question or proof
* They made an assumption that was incorrect.
* There is an assumption that prices will increase.
Consume information
verb - noun
Reading, listening or watching information from various sources
* We all consume an enormous amount of information every day.
* I’m trying to consume less online information.
Outlandish
adjective
Strange and unusual and difficult to accept or like
* He made some very outlandish claims in his presentation.
* She tends to wear quite outlandish outfits.
Humorous
adjective
Causing laughter
* She made some very humorous comments.
* They create a lot of humorous content.
“At firt glance”
phrase
When seen briefly for the first time
* At first glance it seems like he makes a lot of money.
* Traveling to the UK, at first glance, seems to be pretty easy.
Authentic
adjective
Real and true
* They serve really authentic Italian cuisine.
* Authentic communication is vital in business.
A story seems ‘wild’
adjective
A story that is maybe not true because it is very exciting and unconventional
* He told me a very wild story about his past.
* Their story of how they met seemed a bit too wild.
Something is ‘worth the effort’
phrase
Meaning that the time and energy invested in something results in a good outcome
* It’s worth the effort to go on that trip.
* I’m not sure if studying there was worth the effort.
