By now most of us are familiar with the history of 20th century pandemics and how they affected America. I recently read an account about the Hong Kong flu pandemic that took place between 1968 and 1970. The article, written by Jeffery Tucker, describes the pandemic and how the most famous rock concert played to over 300,000 fans with absolutely no social distancing. The article goes on to describe how America handled the virus that “killed 100,000 people in the U.S., mostly over the age of 65, and one million world wide.”
I was amazed that Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic. MVCC librarians always tell the students to determine if the information is credible. I decided to practice what I preach. I reacquainted myself with the MVCC Library Guide on News Literacy. I continued to research the topic and I found numerous articles that questioned the way the author presented certain facts.
Let this statement guide you on your research journey. “We all have a world view, a set of beliefs that we use to understand the world around us. These beliefs often develop into biases, a preference for a particular perspective that upholds our worldview. These biases aren’t necessarily bad, but they do often obscure vital pieces of information that may lead to a fuller understanding of a story. This section of the News Literacy Guide provides resources for how to recognize your own bias, how to recognize bias in the news and media you consume, as well as some strategies for getting a fuller picture of news events and issues in the media.”