Think You Can Spot Fake News? This Scientifically Verified Quiz Will Tell You

[Texacon]

https://democraticunderground.com/100220317157


The thread title would probably be more truthful if it said:  How to Keep a DUmmie Busy for Hours!

littlemissmartypants (27,644 posts)

Wed May 14, 2025, 06:38 PM

16
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Think You Can Spot Fake News? This Scientifically Verified Quiz Will Tell You

Think You Can Spot Fake News? This Scientifically Verified Quiz Will Tell You University of Cambridge psychologists have developed a free quiz that can tell you how susceptible to fake news you are. Take it if you dare.

EXPERT OPINION BY JESSICA STILLMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, INC.COM @ENTRYLEVELREBEL

MAY 14, 2025

Just about everyone agrees that fake news is a problem. It’s poisoning politics and civil debate and making it hard to understand the world and make reasonable choices about how to navigate it. But ask someone if they themselves spread misinformation and they will almost certainly shake their head and point the finger at some other guilty party.

The urge to deny you’ve fallen for fake news is natural. No one likes to feel like a fool. But it means we’re in a logically impossible situation where everyone thinks other people are spreading misinformation, but no one feels they’re doing it themselves.

An important first step to getting our national fake news problem under control is figuring out who could benefit from some education about how to tell fact from fiction online. (Spoiler: The answer is probably all of us to one degree or another.)

Helpfully, a group of psychologists out of the University of Cambridge have developed a free, scientifically validated quiz to help you evaluate your susceptibility to online misinformation. Taking it requires nothing more than two minutes and a little courage, and could strengthen your defenses against fake news.
Snip
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/think-you-can-spot-fake-news-this-scientifically-verified-quiz-will-tell-you/91185411



❤️ pants
RESIST!! ✊️

Of course DUmmies are going to be all over this sketchy as hell looking website, because of their deep seated need to somehow prove they are the smartest people on the internet.  Wonder how many of them gave away information just to take a "scientifically verified quiz..." that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt they are intellectually superior?

I can see them running all over their town/city telling everyone just how well they did on this 'test'.   

WhiskeyGrinder (24,816 posts)

2. I've seen people fall for fake news on this very site.

Maru Kitteh (30,165 posts)

5. It's not an infrequent occurrence here, unfortunately.

Reply to WhiskeyGrinder (Reply #2)
Wed May 14, 2025, 06:59 PM

It could work like a “wrong forum” alert and go to the team for review. Fake news on DU is frustrating, especially when the OP’s so often have no interest in taking it down voluntarily as long as it fits a narrative they favor.

Scrivener7 (55,675 posts)

6. It's very slow. Keep hitting submit till the print grays out and you'll see the word "running" in the upper

Reply to dweller (Reply #4)
Wed May 14, 2025, 07:02 PM

right corner of the screen. Then it will ask you what country you're in, then wait a little longer and your result will come in.

dweller (26,538 posts)

8. I did that

Reply to Scrivener7 (Reply #6)
Wed May 14, 2025, 07:08 PM

Gave it my personal info
Submit

Nada
Will try again ltr


✌🏻

Scrivener7 (55,675 posts)

7. I got a 19/20. Caught all the fake stuff but didn't believe something real.

Reply to littlemissmartypants (Original post)
Wed May 14, 2025, 07:03 PM

Interesting that all the ridiculous statements about what one side was doing were designed to catch a right-wing person thinking the left is the devil.

Naw, no bias on that site I'm guessing.

rsdsharp (10,778 posts)

11. I'm satisfied. 😁

Reply to littlemissmartypants (Original post)
Wed May 14, 2025, 07:13 PM

📈 Your MIST-20 results: 20/20
Veracity Discernment: 100% (ability to accurately distinguish real news from fake news)

Real News Detection: 100% (ability to correctly identify real news)

Fake News Detection: 100% (ability to correctly identify fake news)

Distrust/Naïvité: 0 (ranges from -10 to +10, overly skeptical to overly gullible)

👉 Your ability to recognize real and fake news is great! You are neither too skeptical nor too gullible when it comes to the news.

Makes you wonder if some of the questions were like: President Trump Calls Neo-Nazi's "Very Fine People" with a correct answer being TRUE.

Buns_of_Fire (18,401 posts)

23. As someone who got 19/20 ( "You might be a bit trusting

Reply to littlemissmartypants (Original post)
Wed May 14, 2025, 09:49 PM

when it comes to the news" ), I am now emboldened to write back to the Nigerian Prince and ask where the hell is my million dollars and why did they suck all the money out of my account.

Abolishinist (2,508 posts)

24. I don't understand the "You might be a bit trusting" message.

Reply to Buns_of_Fire (Reply #23)
Wed May 14, 2025, 09:52 PM

I got 18/20 and was told " Your ability to recognize real and fake news is great! You are neither too skeptical nor too gullible when it comes to the news."

WHAT?!  You mean this test might be complete bullshit that NONE of you are recognizing?  Say it ain't so.

Can't wait to start reading the thread topics in the next few weeks about scam emails and phone calls coming in more than usual and they don't know why.

 

KC

[Carl]

How many questions were news reports of pedo Joes brilliance?

[SVPete]

A couple of DU-Denizens committed self-reflective truth. I wonder how many Post Reports they each collected for this partisan sin?

WhiskeyGrinder (24,816 posts)

2. I've seen people fall for fake news on this very site.

Maru Kitteh (30,165 posts)

5. It's not an infrequent occurrence here, unfortunately.
...
It could work like a “wrong forum” alert and go to the team for review. Fake news on DU is frustrating, especially when the OP’s so often have no interest in taking it down voluntarily as long as it fits a narrative they favor.

Scrivener7 (55,675 posts)

7. I got a 19/20. Caught all the fake stuff but didn't believe something real.
...
Interesting that all the ridiculous statements about what one side was doing were designed to catch a right-wing person thinking the left is the devil.

The "Scientifically Verified Quiz" has a bias? Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Some Reich-Winger would have trouble doing a similar "Quiz" of "Fake News" bought by Proggies, because of how much Proggies believe that is false (e.g. Pee Tape, Trump said to inject bleach, Trump did nothing about Covid, Trump removed the bust of MLK Jr. from the Oval Office).

[FlaGator]

Due to confirmation bias, fake news, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

[enslaved1]

It's a list of headlines, I DDG'd each one, the "real ones" were from Pew and Reuters, the "fake" ones are clear conspiracy theory junk, and one that led to a sketchy website.

Welcome to MIST-20!
Please categorize the following news headlines as either 'Fake News' or 'Real News'.

Global Warming Age Gap: Younger Americans Most Worried
Real x
Fake

Morocco’s King Appoints Committee Chief to Fight Poverty and Inequality
Real x
Fake

The Government Is Manipulating the Public's Perception of Genetic Engineering in Order to Make People More Accepting of Such Techniques
Real
Fake x

Republicans Divided in Views of Trump’s Conduct, Democrats Are Broadly Critical
Real x
Fake

Left-Wing Extremism Causes 'More Damage' to World Than Terrorism, Says UN Report
Real
Fake x (like the UN would actually ask such a question, much less report it)

Ebola Virus 'Caused by US Nuclear Weapons Testing', New Study Says
Real
Fake x

The Government Is Knowingly Spreading Disease Through the Airwaves and Food Supply
Real
Fake x

Democrats More Supportive than Republicans of Federal Spending for Scientific Research
Real x
Fake

The Corporate Media Is Controlled by the Military-Industrial Complex: The Major Oil Companies Own the Media and Control Their Agenda
Real
Fake x

International Relations Experts and US Public Agree: America Is Less Respected Globally
Real x
Fake

One-in-Three Worldwide Lack Confidence in Non-Governmental Organizations
Real x
Fake

New Study: Clear Relationship Between Eye Color and Intelligence
Real
Fake x (the sketchy website one)

New Study: Left-Wingers Are More Likely to Lie to Get a Higher Salary
Real
Fake x  (they lie, it just doesn't work  )

Government Officials Have Illegally Manipulated the Weather to Cause Devastating Storms
Real
Fake x (nope, it's been done perfectly legally  )

Hyatt Will Remove Small Bottles from Hotel Bathrooms
Real x
Fake

US Support for Legal Marijuana Steady in Past Year
Real x
Fake

Certain Vaccines Are Loaded with Dangerous Chemicals and Toxins
Real
Fake x

Government Officials Have Manipulated Stock Prices to Hide Scandals
Real
Fake x (another one that just doesn't get reported, also depends on the country)

Attitudes Toward EU Are Largely Positive, Both Within Europe and Outside It
Real x (I might have checked this one false if I wasn't cheating)
Fake

Reflecting a Demographic Shift, 109 US Counties Have Become Majority Nonwhite Since 2000
Real x (also might have checked as fake without knowing exact numbers)
Fake

[SVPete]

It's a list of headlines, I DDG'd each one, the "real ones" were from Pew and Reuters, the "fake" ones are clear conspiracy theory junk, and one that led to a sketchy website.

  !

If the "Fake" story headlines are design to ensnare conservatives, the designer(s) failed, due to ludicrosity.

[BamaMoose]

This looks a lot like the on-line IQ tests that the DUmmies are so fond of taking.  And it reflects the failure of the Left to understand the nuance in complex subjects.  For example, "Democrats More Supportive than Republicans of Federal Spending for Scientific Research" is a meaningless statement without context.  What scientific research is being discussed?  Space research, cancer research, technological research?  Or, some of the wacky research into gender and sexuality?

It's also funny that "Government Officials Have Manipulated Stock Prices to Hide Scandals" is one of the false examples that they all claim to have answered correctly.  That has been the DUmmy mantra for years.  There's been thousands of posts over there the past couple of months claiming Trump is directly manipulating the stock market to his advantage.  I wonder how they would have responded to "Democratic Lawmakers Have Used Insider Trading Information to Enrich Themselves.".

[ADsOutburst]

What I consider "fake news" could actually be something that's literally true, but presented in such a way as to create a completely wrong impression.

As for education on fake news, I had an idea that students should have to take a media literacy course. As part of that course, they should have exercises in which they are given certain information, and are instructed to write a deceptive or sensational article from it. I'll bet they would become a lot better at spotting fake news that way.