Professors From UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas Join Forces to Fight Fake News

ARLINGTON — Incensed by what he thought was a pedophilia ring headquartered in a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant, a 28-year-old man opened fire inside Comet Ping Pong Pizza last year, sending employees and customers scrambling for cover. The shooting was real, but the sex ring — supposedly overseen by 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — was not. Instead, it was propaganda passed off as authentic through social media feeds and right-wing websites. No one was hurt in the Dec. 4 shooting, and the suspect was sentenced in June to four years in prison. Because of incidents like that one, a group of college instructors in North Texas believes combating fake news is a matter of national security. They're working on a proposal that would use technology to help root out false claims in the news.   Continue reading...