Week 6 - Angela Oh

Government funding is an extremely powerful publicity tool. As discussed in Latham's article, the government played a large part in bringing China to the forefront of international attention. However, amidst the controversies and cover-ups of the Beijing Olympics, China received a lot of negative attention and was surrounded by false or sensationalized information. Popular and prominent Western media made many factual errors in their reports, contributing to the international mistrust of China.

The advancement of modern communication technology has allowed for new forms of media. Through the internet and mobile phones, television, and other devices, the public is able to learn from other sources of information, especially those less censored than Chinese mainstream media. In light of this, our start up company would benefit from funding from institutions that are aligned with our cause. Our app is dedicated to improving the awareness of availability of health and well-being resources, as well as having a larger mission of eradicating the stigma around those struggling in these areas. Receiving funding from people with the same motivations as our app would allow for more harmonious representation and avoid potential conflicts that may arise from government funding.

Question: How can individuals ensure that the information they consume and believe is actually credible and representative of true facts (not alternative facts)?

Photo Source (BBC)