Research news: journalist's fact-checking skills, quality of drinking water, religious tolerance of young people, smart pillboxes
Social Sciences
Fact-checking by journalists at risk due to time pressure and limited use of digital tools
Journalism is based on techniques that help distinguish a fact from falsehood. In the age of information overload, it is increasingly more important but also more difficult to verify information. This is why UT researchers were interested in what skills journalists use to verify the accuracy of information. Using semi-structured interviews and constructed episodes, the fact-checking skills of 20 Estonian journalists were investigated. It was found that the core skills journalists use in their normal work routines are also well suited to operating in the conditions rich in fake news. It is important that journalists combine critical thinking, knowledge of foreign languages, knowledge of facts and of various fields, as well as teamwork skills to double-check information. This gives reassurance that false information does not easily get into the press.
There are, however, risks that can lead to publishing misinformation. The biggest among them is time pressure, because of which the time for fact-checking remains shorter, and the journalist may publish unchecked information. The other issue that needs attention is verification of visual material. In particular, the journalists participating in the survey did not use digital tools that could help detect photo or video manipulations or fabricated visual information presented with false context. Instead, they favoured critical and contextual assessment of visual information, which can help in some situations, but not always. Even more complex is the case of deep fakes, which may not be detected by critical observation.
The results of the survey were published in Digital Journalism, and an overview of them is available in Estonian in the bachelor’s thesis by Indrek Ojamets.
Article reference: „Debunking False Information: Investigating Journalists’ Fact-Checking Skills“
Further information:
Marju Himma-Kadakas, Research Fellow in Journalism Research, marju.himma@ut.ee
Indrek Ojamets, journalist at Raadio Kuku, indrek@kuku.ee
Arts and Humanities
Youtubers and TV shows shaping the religious tolerance of young people
A recent international study analysed the attitudes of Generation Z (born 1997–2012) towards religious traditions, their media consumption habits and how the habits can be used to increase religious tolerance among young people.
The potential to make online content more widely available to young people was found to be good. A number of content creators can be found on YouTube who are rather tolerant towards religious traditions – they compare and relate them to each other. Intolerant attitudes are ridiculed. A similar approach characterises the TV shows of various providers (Netflix, HBO, etc.) that young people watch. In the analysed TV shows, positive characters had a tolerant attitude and negative characters were portrayed as intolerant. In conclusion, it was found in the applied research study that attitudes can be shaped by means of humour and that relevant online content could complement traditional teaching materials in schools. The survey was part of the book summarising the results of the project RETOPEA, “Religious Diversity in Europe. Mediating the Past to the Young“.
Book reference: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/religious-diversity-in-europe-9781350198586
Review article in Novaator, in Estonian: https://novaator.err.ee/1608573544/ususallivusele-sillutaks-teed-humoorikas-veebisari
Further information:
Riho Altnurme, Professor of Church History, riho.altnurme@ut.ee
Science and Technology
Estonian drinking water may be a source of natural radioactivity
The availability of pure drinking water is becoming increasingly important every year. Most European countries use groundwater for drinking water, but groundwater can also be a source of radiation, as naturally occurring radioactive elements in the bedrock can dissolve into groundwater. Natural radiation sources cause more than three quarters of the annual dose from ionising radiation. Groundwater is able to dissolve the radionuclides generated in the decay series of uranium and thorium from the surrounding media. As a result, it can contain radioactive elements in quantities exceeding the legal standards set for drinking water.
Although legislation in the European Union member states is similar, there is no comprehensive EU-wide information on the content of radioactive substances in drinking water in different countries. In collaboration with colleagues from Spain, the UT researchers gathered this information by examining scientific literature and interviewing the national authorities and water supply plant operators of different countries. Groundwater with higher than normal content of radioactive elements is found, for example, in Estonia, France, Portugal and Sweden.
The results of the survey were published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology.
Article reference: “Natural radioactivity in European drinking water: A review”
Further information
Siiri Salupere, Research Fellow in Radiation Protection, Institute of Physics, siiri.salupere@ut.ee
Taavi Vaasma, Research Fellow in Environmental Technology, Institute of Physics, taavi.vaasma@ut.ee
Maria Leier, Junior Research Fellow in Radiation Protection, Institute of Physics, maria.leier@ut.ee
Medicine
Healthcare specialists see great potential of smart pillboxes
Medication adherence is an indicator showing the extent to which patients comply with the treatment agreements made with healthcare professionals. Generally, a patient who uses medication to the extent of at least 80% of a prescribed plan is regarded as a compliant patient.
Medication adherence devices remind patients when to take a medicine, and send notifications and warnings to the patients’ next of kin. Using the feedback from 112 healthcare professionals of Estonia (family doctors, nurses and pharmacists), the study identified their attitudes to promoting medication adherence and to the smart pillbox. Preliminary results showed that about 50% of geriatric patients use more than three medications daily and 90% of them have problems with medication adherence. 11% of the patients have suffered from frequent or very frequent side effects when using medicines; 23% are concerned about the long-term use of medications, and 19% forgot to take the medicine at the right time.
Healthcare specialists see low medication adherence as a problem and find that smart systems have a great potential in making the use of medicines more effective and give the specialists a better understanding of the patient’s use of medications. In their opinion, when developing smart devices, it is important not only to meet the patients’ needs but also the expectations of healthcare professionals relating to the measurement of health indicators and communication of information.
Article reference in International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
Further information:
Hanna Keidong, Pharmacy student, 5th year, keidong.hanna@gmail.com
