Younger Generation Better At Separating News From Opinion

Those pesky kids with their smartphones don’t know the days of print newspapers separating the news pages from the opinion section. But they’re not necessarily the ones we have to worry about discerning news statements from opinions, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.

Based on a survey Pew conducted in February and March, Americans ages 18–49 were more likely to accurately categorise factual statements as facts and opinion statements as opinions.

A third of that age range correctly identified all five news items in a test, compared to 20 percent of those over age 50, and 44 percent of the younger grouping correctly identified all opinion items, compared to 26 percent of their elders.

“Beyond digital savviness, the original study found that two other factors have a strong relationship with being able to correctly classify factual and opinion statements: having higher political awareness and more trust in the information from the national news media,” Pew researcher Jeffery Gottfried wrote.

“Despite the fact that younger adults tend to be less politically aware and trusting of the news media than their elders, they still performed better at this task.”

This corroborates the footnote of a recent American Press Institute study which found that only 43 percent of Americans thought it was easy to distinguish opinion from news on digital news sites and social media.

The API researchers found that 52 percent of adults under age 30 said it’s at least somewhat easy to tell them apart on social media, versus 34 percent of adults 60 and older: “The level of ease was about the same for younger adults across all media types.”

The study also noted that the young folk were understandably less familiar with print jargon like “op-ed” than the older adults.

A different recent Pew study found that while 57 percent of American social media users expected the news they encountered there to be “largely inaccurate,” younger social media news consumers were, unsurprisingly, more likely to say social media has “impacted their learning for the better” (48 percent of those age 18 to 29, compared to 28 percent of those age 50 to 64).

Op-eds have been playing a much larger role in the news cycle these days, with Trump’s anonymous underling writing in The New York Times and the president’s error-ridden contribution to USA Today.

Instead of fighting with terms that are quickly becoming arcane, there are a few options beyond cheering the fact that rising generations of news consumers understand the newspaper layout.

Nieman Lab:

You Might Also Read: 

New Tools To Fight Fake News:

 

« USA & China Named As Top Cyber-Attack Sources
Blockchain May Break Tech’s Hold On AI »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Gartner insights into How to Select the Right ZTNA offering. Download this FREE report for a limited time only.

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

authen2cate

authen2cate

Authen2cate offers a simple way to provide application access with our Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions for enterprise, small business, and individual customers alike.

Packet Storm

Packet Storm

Packet Storm is an online resource for security tools, whitepapers, exploits, and advisories on computer security issues.

Sepior

Sepior

Our vision is to make Sepior the leading provider of cloud-encryption software in the world.

Cloudmark

Cloudmark

Cloudmark is a trusted leader in intelligent threat protection against known and future attacks, safeguarding 12 percent of the world’s inboxes from wide-scale and targeted email threats.

SecuGen

SecuGen

SecuGen is a leading provider of advanced, optical fingerprint recognition technology, products, tools and platforms for physical and information security.

SenseOn

SenseOn

SenseOn’s multiple threat-detection senses work together to detect malicious activity across an organisation’s entire digital estate, covering the gaps that single point solutions create.

GlobalPass

GlobalPass

Covering 200+ countries with 78 000 databases, GlobalPass provides sophisticated facial biometrics verification and deep screening, delivering peace of mind to every client.

ConnectWise

ConnectWise

The Unified ConnectWise Platform offers intelligent software and expert services to easily run your business, deliver your services, secure your clients, and build your staff.

Evolution Equity Partners

Evolution Equity Partners

Evolution Equity Partners is an international venture capital investor partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs to develop market leading cyber-security and enterprise software companies.

MVP Tech

MVP Tech

MVP Tech designs and deploys next generation infrastructures where Security and Technology converge.

Ghost Security

Ghost Security

Ghost is a venture backed, product-led startup building the new standard in application security for the modern enterprise.

Fireblocks

Fireblocks

Fireblocks is a digital asset security platform that helps financial institutions protect digital assets from theft or hackers.

Professional Labs

Professional Labs

Professional Labs specialize in simplifying complex problems for our customers with Cloud Services, Managed Services and Cyber Security.

Kusari

Kusari

Securing your software supply chain starts with understanding. Kusari is on a mission to bring transparency to your software supply chain and power secure development.

AI or Not

AI or Not

AI or Not - Leverage AI to combat misinformation and elevate the landscape of compliance solutions.

Simbian

Simbian

Simbian, with its hardened TrustedLLM system, is the first to accelerate security by empowering every member of a security team from the C-Suite to frontline practitioners.