Fake news refers to false or misleading information that is most often spread through social media. It’s usually created and distributed intentionally to misinform, manipulate or deceive people for various reasons, including financial gain, democratic disruption or political influence.
How to avoid fake news:
- Check the source: Look for reliable and credible sources of news and information. Investigate the platform that originally published or shared the story to make sure it’s reputable and trustworthy.
- Verify the information: Verify the facts and information by cross-checking them with other credible sources. If the story is only being reported by one source, it may not be accurate.
- Check the date: Check the date on the story to make sure it’s current. Fake news stories are often outdated and may have already been debunked.
- Beware of clickbait: Be cautious of headlines that are designed to grab your attention and entice you to click on the link. Clickbait headlines may not accurately reflect the content of the story.
- Consume the full story: If a story is reliable, it’s always important to consume the story in full to understand the context and nuance. Fake news is often spread by cherry-picking quotes or sharing incomplete news.
- Use fact-checking tools: Use fact-checking tools like Snopes, Media Bias/Fact Check and Media Smarts to verify the accuracy of facts or the reliability of a source.
- Be mindful of your own biases: Recognize that everyone has bias and try to avoid only consuming media that confirms your pre-existing beliefs. Be open to different perspectives and seek out a variety of sources.
What’s Fake???
Give examples of fake news you have heard about in the past.
Is fake news harder to discover in the digital age? Why or why not?
What is the difference between fake news and satirical news such as The Onion? Between fake news and click bait? Hmm..is there even a difference?
How is fake news so dangerous? (Hint: spreading misinformation, influencing people’s opinions, undermining the trust in journalism, etc.)
How are fake social media accounts contributing to the spread of misinformation? How might you spot fake accounts?
How can you determine what is fake news? Have a look at one of these fake news sites and try to figure out if there are any hints that it’s a fake news site. Create a simple chart listing reasons that it could be real and could be fake.
Are websites, like Snopes, going to be more important as social media continues to be a big part of our lives?
Create 5 fake news headlines, three fake and two true (do some research for the true headlines), and have a partner determine which are real and which are fake (without allowing them to do research).
Select 3 real and 3 fake news articles and share them with a partner. Have them read through each article and have them try to select the fake news vs the real news. Use the ‘How to Evaluate a Source’ infographic to help.
Resources
CIVIX News Literacy – Helping students fight information pollution
Online disinformation – From the Government of Canada
Snopes – Fact checking site
FactCheck – Fact checking site
Politifact – A truth-o-meter for fact checking stories
