9Adar is February 15-21, 2021 (Adar 3-9 5781)

#BreakTheEchoChamber

#BreakTheEchoChamber

Take the #BreakTheEchoChamber Challenge!

You’ve heard about “fake news” and “real news”, but what about “contradictory news”?

Contradictory news is when the same news event is reported in radically different ways via competing ideological news outlets, allowing its readers and viewers to stay safe and feel empowered within their own echo chambers. When people primarily read, watch and trust the news that supports their ideological biases, the conflicting groups will see their realities in very different ways, leading to a deepening and broadening of ideological divides and identity conflicts.

  • Find a news event (like a speech, or tweet).
  • Identify two contradictory news reports on this same event. To see some examples on Facebook, check out “Blue Feed, Red Feed“, a Wall Street Journal site which compares liberal and conservative Facebook feeds on specific topics.
  • Analyze what are the shared “facts” that both reports agree upon and what are at least two essential differences between them. What information was added or omitted? How was the same information understood differently? What other context is introduced to interpret the event?
  • Post your example using #BreakTheEchoChamber and @The9AdarProject: Jewish Week of Constructive Conflict.
  • Go deeper by applying the 5 steps of #MyFeetYourShoes as shown above.

Click here to see a sample challenge on Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech.

Get Involved