Tackling Misinformation and Conspiracies: Information literacy

In November 2020 as part of Saolta with Development Perspectives and Aontas, I was lucky to be given the opportunity to facilitate a workshop Entitled: Development Education: tackling misinformation and conspiracies during a pandemic. The workshop addressed the current state of the seeming growth in misinformation and conspiracies currently facing many societies, how the issue has been exacerbated during Covid 19, the effects that the apparent growth in misinformation and conspiracies has had, and what role development education can play, in particular in the adult and community education space, in tackling the issue.

 

Stop Panicking: stop panic buying, and stop stockpiling food!

Stop Panicking: stop panic buying, and stop stockpiling food!

To anyone who, before now, didn’t fully understand the concept of “the tragedy of the commons”, look around you to what is happening in Ireland during the spread of Covid-19, which the World Health Organisation has recently classified as a pandemic.


It sounds scary when something is classified with a word as powerful as “pandemic”. Add a tense movie-thriller-sounding qualifying word to pandemic, such as Covid-19, and there is plenty of reason to let your thoughts disappear down a movie script dystopian style rabbit hole of horror scenarios.

The irony of the situation is that the only horror that is likely to occur form panic-driven stockpiling of food and (bizarrely) toiletries will be to the old, sick and vulnerable in society, who are the ones that we must surely try our hardest to protect. They are after all the ones most likely to suffer most during the pandemic.

Irish Times Letter to the Editor: Banning Cluster Bombs (2008)

Letter to the Editor: Irish Times 2008

Madam, - Dermot Ahern (March 6th) writes a prolix defence in reaction to Nuala Ahern's article of March 4th and Margaretta D'Arcy's letter of March 5th, both of which question the Government's actions regarding banning cluster bomb munitions.

Mr Ahern cites his contacts with Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, and with the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission, "with a view to ensuring that no public funds are invested in any company involved in or associated with the production of cluster munitions".

After this woolly statement, the Minister goes on to say he is "proud that Ireland is leading efforts to combat cluster munitions and passionately hope that a convention will be agreed here in May".

The question remains, however: does Ireland have investment in companies which produce cluster bomb munitions? - Yours, etc,


NICK DORAN, Sandyford Road, Dundrum, Dublin 14.