Assessing Credibility
Where do you get your news? Move to the part of the room with the sign designating your preferred news source. Discuss: Why do you like that news source? What are some of the limitations/negatives of that news source?
What did you notice about the different news sources, what we liked and the limitations of each? After hearing about the other news sources, did it make you feel differently about the news source you picked?
According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 62% of Americans get their news from social media and 44% get their news from Facebook specifically. Of those who get news on at least one of the social media sites, the majority (64%) get their news on just one platform, most commonly Facebook. In addition, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram news users are more likely to get their news online mostly “by chance,” while they are online doing other things. Nearly 90% of millennials regularly get news from Facebook.
Real news or fake news? There has been a lot of talk lately about “fake news,” especially around the 2016 Presidential Election. What is fake news? What is a fake news site? Fake news websites publish untrue or fake information in order to drive web traffic to the site. The goal is to mislead readers to believe the stories and to make money through advertising. Social media sites are used to spread the fake news. There are some fake news sites that contain factual news stories that are used to camouflage the fact that other news stories are untrue and fake.
Why You Suspect/Know It’s Fake How You Know It’s Real Why You Suspect/Know It’s Fake
Was it easy or difficult to determine whether the news was fake or real? What were some clues that the news was not true? How did you feel when you found a news story was fake if you originally thought it was real?
Because a lot of the fake news appears and is shared through Google and Facebook, they have taken steps to do something about it. Google announced that it will prohibit “misrepresentative content” from appearing on its advertising network. Facebook says it will not place ads from fake news publishers on third party apps or websites, because the content falls under the broader category of “illegal, misleading or deceptive” content.
There is a difference between fake news, Misleading news, which often contains some truth including a fact, event or quote that has been taken out of context; these can be difficult to debunk, Satirical news, which will often cover current events and then satirize the tone and content of traditional news, using humor, sarcasm and falsities; a good example of satire news is The Onion. Satirical news does not intend to mislead and profit from readers believing the stories as true, and Tabloid news, which is a style of news that emphasizes sensational crime stories, gossip columns about celebrities.
What happens when fake news spreads What happens when fake news spreads? What actions can I take to verify news stories, photographs and other sources of online information? Fake news is no longer a matter of the occasional hoax. There is growing evidence that fake news has the power to shape public opinion and even sway elections. As more people get their news online, it is increasingly vital that students know how to verify sources and spot fake news or images, which often appear indistinguishable from a reliable source.
Why should this image not be trusted to confirm Fukushima nuclear contamination? We don’t know the photographer’s credentials. There is no way of knowing if the daisies are near the power plant or if radiation caused the mutations or even if the photo was taken in Japan! Less than 20% of the high school students in the study could fully evaluate the image or come up with the above list. Remind students that many fake images and news stories exist online. Ask: What will you do next time? What will you do every time?
Questions to Ask: 1. Scan the perimeter of the page and look for answers to these questions: Who created the page? • Is there an “about us” section? • Do they list credentials? • Is there contact information? • Who is the intended audience?
What information are you getting? • Are there multiple points of view represented? • Does the author use OPINION words, such as always, never, least, greatest, best, worst, all, none, should, or most? • What is the tone? Is it serious? Does it contain elements of parody, satire, or irony? • Can the information be verified through other sources? When was this article posted? • Is it current? • Has it been updated recently?
Where is this webpage located? • Look at the URL. Is this a personal page or site? • What is the domain (.com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov)? Why would I use this site as a source of information? • Can I verify this information? • Why was this site published? Was it to entertain, to inform, to explain, to persuade, to sell, or some combination of these things?
2. Look for quality, asking yourself the following questions: Does the overall design look professional? Are there any spelling mistakes or other writing errors? Are links credible or broken? Are there any advertisements?
3. Look at the images, asking yourself the following questions: Who created the images? Is credit given? Do they look like they have been changed with a photo-enhancing program? • Are shadows consistent? • Are there jagged edges? • Are there identical objects in the photograph? • Could the scene in the photo really have happened? 4. Explore how the site is viewed by others: What sites link to it? (You can find out using Google by entering link: URL of the website) Use a search engine for the topic. What sites come up?
Fake News, Real Consequences How to spot fake news? What did you learn that you didn’t know before? Have you ever used any of the strategies discussed in the article? Please explain. Why do you think fake news is created? What are the dangers of fake news? How might you think differently about news after reading the article? Fake News, Real Consequences