By Ben Guarino, Washington Post
The world, according to University of Washington professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West, is awash in BS. So begins their popular course, “Calling Bullshit,” which trains college students to identify and call out misinformation. BS warps voter choices. It can damage businesses. BS oozed from a crudely edited video that falsely suggested House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was inebriated at a public event. Foreign propaganda machines spread BS through social and news media during the 2016 presidential campaign and beyond. And BS, when it clouds the science of vaccine safety and climate change, even threatens our health. Many people believe the BS they encounter and transmit it further — and that’s what this class aims to stop. They are developing an open online course, and they have shared their lessons in public events to reach an audience beyond the typical college-age student.
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