Fake News: Home

What is Fake News?

Fake news is when forms of media or communication contain prejudices, lies, and misinformation.  This could be deliberate or accidental.  It could have a humorous purpose (satire) or a very serious purpose (political sabotage).  

Escape the Fake

EVIDENCE

Do the facts hold up? Look for information you can verify.

Names, Numbers, Places, Documents

 

SOURCE

Who made this, and can I trust them? Trace who has touched the story.

Authors, Publisher, Funders, Aggregators, 

Social media users

 

CONTEXT

What's the big picture? Consider if this is the whole story and weigh other forces surrounding it.
Current events, Cultural trends, Political goals, Financial pressures

 

AUDIENCE

Who is the intended audience? Look for attempts to appeal to specific groups or types of people.
Image choices, Presentation techniques, Language, Content

 

PURPOSE

Why was this made? Look for clues to the motivation.
The publisher’s mission, Persuasive language or images, Moneymaking tactics, Stated or unstated agendas, Calls to action

 

EXECUTION

How is the information presented? Consider how the way it’s made affects the impact.

Style, Grammar, Tone, Image choices, Placement and layout

Fake News and YOU!

Sure there is a lot of fake news out there, but why is this important to YOU? So much of our personal beliefs, politics, and prejudiced are formed by the media we read, watch, and listen to.  What if that media contains lies and misinformation? How does that impact your sense of self and other peoples' sense of you? 

As UWC students studying the IB program we should try to be thinkers, inquirers, and open minded.  We need to look beyond the surface.  We should value, practice, and demonstrate critical thinking skills and academic rigor.

CC BY-NC-SA Resource from Common Sense Media www.commonsense.org

Fact Checking Sites

Fact checking websites are a useful way to check the truth behind political statements, urban legends, and other information from the media.

• Snopes
• PolitiFact
• FactCheck
• ClimateFeedback
• FullFact

Clickbait

Common Sense Education describe clickbait as, "an image or headline that tries to get you to click on it, usually for advertising purposes."  The more clicks, the more money is earned by the advertisers. To get money from clicks, it is often more important to be catchy and attention grabbing, than truthful. So, think twice before you click!

Domains

Website domains can help you investigate the sort of site you are looking at.  

• .edu (Educational Institution)
• .com (Commercial Site)
• .gov (Government Site)
• .org (Nonprofit Organization) 
• .net (Network Provider)
• ~ (Individual)

Educational Institutions are usually credible, as are...

Government sites, although remain alert for political bias.

Commercial sites can contain helpful information but remember the purpose of the site is product promotion so assess the content carefully.  

Nonprofit organizations can provide access to valuable information and statistics, however, it is important to analyze information carefully as some content may be bias or slanted towards promoting a specific agenda.