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NEWS AND FAKE NEWS
Believe it or not:
This lesson aims to answer these questions.
Everything Is
AWESOME!
Read the following example, then discuss the main questions answered by the news.
What other questions could be added?
Cristiano Ronaldo signed with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of 2022.
Answer
Compare the following news with the previous one.
What is the difference?
What is the difference?
Motivated by money, narcissistic Cristiano Ronaldo signed with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of 2022.
Answer
Discuss if the following example could make the news.
Justify your answer.
Justify your answer.
Yesterday, John Smith took the tram to get home from work, then he had dinner, watched TV and went to bed.
Answer
What sources of news are there?
Answer
Work together to define the term 'news'.
Answer
The news plays a crucial role in providing information that people use to form opinions about the world. If a piece of news is not verified or is deliberately written based on false information, it is called fake news. The text is commonly accompanied by fake photos and videos.
Discuss where and on which platforms you can encounter fake news.
Have you had experience with fake news? Share it with your classmates.
The creation of fake news is not a new phenomenon, it has been a practice since ancient times. Today, however, social media platforms enable immediate and uncontrolled content sharing, which can be dangerous.
Form groups and find information about the following topics.
Group 1: What ancient fake news is related to Noah's Ark?
Group 2: What kind of power was associated with the touch of a king in the Middle Ages?
Group 3: What myths spread about witches in the modern era?
Group 4: What is the back story of the photograph showing Stalin and Yezhov?
Group 2: What kind of power was associated with the touch of a king in the Middle Ages?
Group 3: What myths spread about witches in the modern era?
Group 4: What is the back story of the photograph showing Stalin and Yezhov?
Imagine you are medieval chroniclers.
Choose a ruler and describe them as their chronicler.
Choose a ruler and describe them as their chronicler.
Then, write a description of the same person from the point of view of a chronicler employed by a ruler of a rival country.
What do you observe?
Express source criticism about the texts.
Express source criticism about the texts.
Einhorn is Finkle!
The answer is 42.
According to their content, fake news can be classified into the following categories:
Propaganda
> It is used by governments, companies and nonprofit organisations to influence people's opinions, values and information.
> It provokes emotions.
> It can be useful or harmful.
> It provokes emotions.
> It can be useful or harmful.
Clickbait
> It has attention-seeking and sensationalised headlines.
> It is often deceptive; the text does not match the title.
> Its goal is to increase the advertising revenue.
> It is often deceptive; the text does not match the title.
> Its goal is to increase the advertising revenue.
Sponsored content
> It contains an advertisement included in editorial content.
> It damages the interests of trustworthy media outlets.
> Consumers may not identify the advertisement if it is not indicated.
> It damages the interests of trustworthy media outlets.
> Consumers may not identify the advertisement if it is not indicated.
Satire and hoax
> Social commentary or humour.
> Its quality varies; its intended meaning may not be clear.
> It can confuse people who believe it.
> Its quality varies; its intended meaning may not be clear.
> It can confuse people who believe it.
Mistake
> Even trustworthy editorial departments can make mistakes.
> It can damage the reputation of the media organisation and result in a lawsuit.
> Media outlets of good reputation publish corrections.
> It can damage the reputation of the media organisation and result in a lawsuit.
> Media outlets of good reputation publish corrections.
Biased article
> It interprets facts based on ideology while swearing objectivity.
> Facts supporting the preferred narrative are highlighted, while the rest is ignored.
> It is characterised by an emotional and passionate style.
> Facts supporting the preferred narrative are highlighted, while the rest is ignored.
> It is characterised by an emotional and passionate style.
Conspiracy theory
> It tries to explain complex things in a simple way based on fear or uncertainty.
> It cannot be refuted because the evidence against it could also be proof of the conspiracy theory.
> It refuses the opinion of experts.
> It cannot be refuted because the evidence against it could also be proof of the conspiracy theory.
> It refuses the opinion of experts.
Pseudoscience
> It includes greenwashing, miracle cures, anti-vaccination and climate change denial.
> Scientific research is presented with misleading, exaggerated or false statements.
> It often contradicts the experts in the field.
> Scientific research is presented with misleading, exaggerated or false statements.
> It often contradicts the experts in the field.
Misinformation
> A mixture of false and partially false information.
> It has informative purposes, but the author does not know that the information presented is false.
> It is characterised by false information, falsified content and a misleading title.
> It has informative purposes, but the author does not know that the information presented is false.
> It is characterised by false information, falsified content and a misleading title.
False news
> Entirely false news published with the aim of misleading.
> Guerrilla marketing strategy, bots, fake comments and advertisements of fake brands.
> It is motivated by advertising revenue, political influence or both.
> Guerrilla marketing strategy, bots, fake comments and advertisements of fake brands.
> It is motivated by advertising revenue, political influence or both.
Effect
neutral
low
medium
high
Motivation
> money
> politics/power
> humour/joke
> emotion
> (mis)information
> politics/power
> humour/joke
> emotion
> (mis)information
Use the infographic to classify the fake news.
Form four groups.
Group 1 >
Group 2 >
Group 3 >
Group 4 >
Answer
Several motives can lie behind fake news. Usually, more than one are present at once.
Using the infographic, discuss the motivation behind the fake news you have read.
This statement is false.
True?
False?
What are your first impressions about the following pieces of information?
Are they true or false? Write your guesses in your notebook.
1. The Great Wall of China is visible from space.
2. Spartans threw off sickly babies of Mount Taygetus.
3. Napoleon was short.
4. The twelve stars on the flag of the European Union represent the twelve founding states.
2. Spartans threw off sickly babies of Mount Taygetus.
3. Napoleon was short.
4. The twelve stars on the flag of the European Union represent the twelve founding states.
Use the Internet to find out if you were right.
What things are worth considering when reading news online?
Possible answer
Useful questions that can help determine the authenticity of news:
Have you read the news?
The headlines are commonly misleading, so before you share a piece of news, make sure you read it. This helps prevent the spreading of fake news.
What is its aim?
It can be useful to answer the following questions:
Does it intend to provoke extreme emotions?
Is it humorous? Is it based on preconceptions?
Does it intend to provoke extreme emotions?
Is it humorous? Is it based on preconceptions?
What does the web page look like?
If there are a lot of spelling mistakes and advertisements, you are probably reading a fake news website.
Is the source reliable?
It is important to check whether the article refers to sources of information, journals or experts in the field.
Who is the author?
Check whether the author's name is indicated.
If it is, find out the topics they write about.
If it is, find out the topics they write about.
When was it published?
Make sure that the shared news you read is recent.
It may be an older article.
It may be an older article.
Do you have doubts?
Ask your teacher or a librarian. There are numerous
fact-checking websites, the best-known being snopes.com. Visit these websites.
fact-checking websites, the best-known being snopes.com. Visit these websites.
But who checks fact-checking websites?
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