In The News: What's the Deal With Fake News?

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Have you heard the news about "Fake News"? The current President of the United States has tweeted the term "Fake News" 73 times since he has been in office. Is that a fact or is it Fake News? Is Fake News a real problem or is the news about Fake News just fake?

Are you confused?

Your friend Mason has just returned from a long stay on a deserted island and he has no idea how to use Google. How will you teach him about Fake News and how to tell if a source is reliable? How can you explain the difference between fact and opinion?

"Every day, we are bombarded with pictures, videos, and words. Social media streams are full of news, opinions, and ads. Our smartphones are overrun with tweets, texts, and hashtags. This constant flood of information can be overwhelming. Some of it is valuable and informative. Some of it has been designed for dishonourable reasons--perhaps to shock us, make fun of someone, or manipulate ideas, thoughts, and points of view. With all this communication coming your way these days, it's hard to even know what's real."

- Diane Dakers, Information Literacy and Fake News

To get started, let's do a Think-Pair-Share discussion about the following two questions:

          1. How often do you check to make sure that what you are sharing or commenting on online is real?
          2. How do you go about finding out?

Now, let's take a look at the following videos to learn more about how to spot fake news and create a list of strategies suggested by each video. You will be put into groups and be assigned one of the videos. Each group will watch their video and present their findings to the class. Each groups findings must include:

          1. What was the video about?
          2. What strategies (if any) can you use to spot fake news?
          3. What research strategies (if any) can you use to check if the news is reliable?