What They Talk About When They Talk About the Need for Critical Evaluation of Information Sources: An Analysis of Norwegian and Swedish News Articles Mentioning ‘Source Criticism’

Abstract

In the so-called ‘post-truth’ era the need for skills that allow (digital) information to be critically evaluated has garnered considerable attention and discussion. In the library and LIS domains, researchers, librarians, and libraries have recurrently and strongly argued to play important roles in the effort to solve the many challenges offered by increasingly mundane-ified, invisible, and powerful online information infrastructures. Little is known, however, about the proliferation of such arguments in broader societal debate and dialogue. The empirical basis if this paper is an analysis of 100 news articles published by major Swedish and Norwegian media outlets mentioning the term “source criticism”. The analysis focused on (1) what is being talked about in conjunction with the notion of source criticism; and (2) who is talking with authority on the topic of source criticism. Of particular interest was the extent to which libraries, librarians, and LIS are ascribed important and authoritative positions in the discussions. The findings showed that although libraries are referenced in some of the articles, neither the library sector as such nor LIS research has any sort of meaningful presence in public discourse on misinformation, disinformation, and other negative information trends. The stark difference between how the positions and possible contributions of libraries, library professionals, and LIS research are rendered in public and professional and academic library discourses is a significant hindrance for the library research and practice domains to realize their manifold productive potential of in the larger context of present-day information machineries, politics, and culture.