Lesson 1 & 2 V6A Week 11

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

learning goal

- I will understand a research article about fake news headlines

- I will have practiced with a text in my examenbundel that focuses on a topic that I find difficult. 

POLL 1: Do you keep up with the news?

Yes, I actively keep up with the news

No, I do not like to read the news

Sometimes, when I come across it on social media.

POLL 2: What kind of news do you find interesting?

Headlines

Politics

Local/national news

Sports news

Entertainment news – movies, music, celebrities

Gossip

Background

Nothing

POLL 3: Where do you read/watch news?

Dutch TV

International TV

Newspaper

Magazine

Online

Nowhere

Do you agree with the quote "If you don't read the newspapers, you're uninformed. If you do read them, you're misinformed"? Explain your answer.

The willing suspension of disbelief: 

people often believe what they want to believe.

People are often drawn to stories that reinforce the way they see the world and how they feel about certain issues. Fake news is no exception, and many of the articles that fall under its umbrella are designed to stir up emotion in readers and prey on their biases.

So what do you do..?

What are some of the ways to check if an article/headline is fake news?

How do you recognise fake news? (1)

1. Read Past The Headline

One way that fake news gets amplified is that busy readers may not look past the headline or opening paragraph before they decide to share an article. Fake news publishers sometimes exploit this tendency, writing the beginning of a story in a straightforward way before filling in the rest with obviously false information. 

How do you recognise fake news? (2)

2. Check What News Outlet Published It

Unfamiliar websites plastered with ads and all-caps headlines should draw immediate skepticism. Googling a site’s name and checking out other articles it posts should also help determine whether it’s trustworthy. 

Check the URL names of pages that look suspect, making sure that it’s not a hoax site that is pretending to be a trusted source. 

How do you recognise fake news? (3)

3. Check The Publish Date And Time

Another common element in fake news is that old articles or events can resurface and lead people to believe they just happened. Checking the publish time stamp is something readers can quickly do to prevent being misled.

How do you recognise fake news? (4)

4. Who Is The Author?

Looking at who wrote the article can reveal a lot of information about the news source. Searching through the author’s previous articles can show whether they are a legitimate journalist or have a history of hoaxes.

How do you recognise fake news? (5)

5. Search If Other News Outlets Are Reporting It

If a story looks suspicious or claims to reveal major news, search to see if other news outlets are also reporting the story. A single article from a suspicious source making a grand claim should be viewed with heavy skepticism. If no reliable news outlets are also reporting the story, then it’s very likely fake.

How do you recognise fake news? (6)

6. Think Before You Share

Fake news sites rely on readers to share and engage with their articles in order for them to spread. In extreme cases, these fake articles can balloon out of control and have unintended consequences for those involved in the stories.

After fake news stories claimed that Hillary Clinton was sexually abusing children at a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant, the business owner and his employees received death threats and vicious online harassment. The staff is still under attack even though these false claims have been debunked.  

Which of these two headlines is a real news story?

1. “Zelenskyy pleads to US Congress: ‘We need you right now’”
2. “Biden signed bill to mandate climate change curriculum in all K-8 classrooms”

www.niemanlab.org

Reading Questions

1. Look for words in the article that you do not know the meaning of, look up the definition and write it down. 

2. Find 4 words that have to do with communication and media. 

3. Which 2 outcomes of the research by Angelucci & Pratt did you find most intriguing? Why?

4. At the end of the article, 3 tips for journalists are mentioned for covering political misinformation. Can you think of another tip?

Which 2 outcomes of the research did you find most intriguing?

4. At the end of the article, 3 tips for journalists are mentioned for covering political misinformation. Can you think of another tip?

Examenbundel

What if you struggle with a text on your CE because you do not know a lot about the topic? Any tips?

Over welk thema weet je het minst?

communicatie en media

geschiedenis

kunst en cultuur

mens en maatschappij

natuur, milieu en gezondheid

onderwijs, wetenschap en techniek

politiek en economie

Examenbundel

Pick a text in your examenbundel related to the topic you previously indicated. 

Go to:

play.blooket.com