Report About News Articles

Name: Franco Guadarrama Andrea Sophia   Level: Intermediate 5    Schedule: 9:00 - 11:00am

Integrative Task

Report - Fake News

Reliable news sites must have certain characteristics such as accuracy, fairness, and objectivity. They generally provide well-researched information, cite credible experts, and offer a balanced view of the information. On the other hand, unreliable news pages may present distorted information, inappropriate quotes, use sensational language, or even spread misinformation.

Starting with the misinformation part, we can consult on the International Business Time page a news article of the date November 26, 2016, titled "Eating Ice Cream For Breakfast May Improve Mental Performance And Alertness, Study Says", written by Janice Williams, IBT News Reporter, in which it is reported that eating ice cream for breakfast could improve mental performance and alertness, according to a study. The research, which is not provided in detail, appears to support the idea that consuming ice cream early in the day may have cognitive benefits, such as better reaction time and better information processing.

However, the link to the supposed study that verifies such information is not mentioned at any time. We can see that the sensational title seeks to attract the attention of readers, and unfortunately, those people who do not decide to investigate the subject further may think it is a good idea to eat ice cream with large amounts of sugar in the morning, without considering all the risks that could arise.

Another thing we can see about this article is the level of information it shares. It is a short article, with little information that only presents a superficial idea about the news and leaves many questions.

It is enough to look for opinions about this news page to know that many users have disagreement with its credibility. Even in the previous article we can find a comment at the end, which says "Doing cocaine also makes people more alert, but we don't recommend it. I can't believe news sites are reporting on this narrowly considered study. This is junk science, and it really undermines the credibility of sites reporting this study." The information in this news is not very specific since the arguments it mentions are not supported by any original quote or source. We can conclude that it is a site that can spread fake news.

Website: https://www.ibtimes.com/eating-ice-cream-breakfast-may-improve-mental-performance-alertness-study-ys-2450646

Now, we are going to analyse the information from the news page Business Insider, a website that according to Ad Fontes Media, a media watchdog organization which rates media sources in terms of political bias and reliability, rated this site as reliable in the analysis and reporting of facts. In it we can find the news article of the date November 30, 2016, titled "A viral story that claimed eating ice cream for breakfast will make you smarter points to a bigger problem in health journalism", written by Rafi Letzter, a science reporter for Business Insider, which warns against the idea of eating ice cream for breakfast to improve health mental performance. Although it mentions the same study as the previous news, it emphasizes that experts do not support the conclusion that ice cream has specific benefits for the brain. Instead, it talks about the importance of a balanced and nutritious breakfast for optimal cognitive functioning. So, it primarily questions the validity of the claim that ice cream for breakfast can improve mental alertness, quotes some comments from a Nutritional Psychology Doctoral Researcher at Reading University to validate the correct information, and asks science reporters, editors, and readers to stop spreading this type of fake news.

...