WHICH SOURCE IS BEST?

•Where do we look for reliable information for our upcoming

research paper?

•What types of sources can we use?

•Which of these sources are reliable? How do we know?

SO MUCH INFORMATION… HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT'S THE TRUTH?• Multiple outlets that we gather information from in the 21st century:

• Internet- websites

• Social media networks- Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram

• News sources- NY Times, Daily News, Washington Post

• Television- news programs (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN)

• Books, magazines, etc.

• It’s important to evaluate your sources before taking them at face value (as truth)…

• Not all we read & see is true… Especially when it’s online!

TODAY’S FOCUS: FAKE NEWS

• Fake news is making news, and it’s a problem!

• What is Fake News?

• “Fake news is a type of hoax or deliberate spread of misinformation (false information), be it via

the traditional print or broadcasting news media or via Internet-based social media. To qualify

as fake news, a story has to be written and published with the intent to mislead in order to gain

financially or politically.” -Wikipedia

• Fake news is nothing new. But bogus stories can reach more people more quickly via social

media than what good old-fashioned viral emails could accomplish in years past.

RECENT DATA…• A recent study by Stanford University found an overwhelming majority of students were not

able to tell the difference between so-called fake news and real news.

• A Buzzfeed (social news and entertainment company) data analysis found that in the final

three months of the United States presidential campaign, the top-performing fake election

news stories on Facebook generated more engagement than the top stories from major

news outlets such as the New York times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, NBC News,

and others.

• Common Sense Media Survey; Survey Information (survey of 853 children age 10-18 living in the USA from

Jan 10th- Jan 22nd)

HOW CAN YOU BE SURE THE NEWS YOU CONSUME IS TRUE?

• Some questions to consider….

• Where do you get your news?

• If you say social media, can you name the specific news sources where the majority of

information you read comes from?

• Why is there growing concern surrounding fake news sites?

PBS NEWS HOUR:

Buzzfeed article-

news story based

off this

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE VIDEO…

• Do you agree with President Obama’s statement that it is problematic if people can’t

distinguish between real news and propaganda?

• How do you think fake news could influence individuals’ beliefs or even presidential

elections?

• Do you think tech giants like Google and Facebook deserve to be criticized over whether

they used insufficient discretion in weeding out fake news?

• What should these companies do about fake news sites?

Source: Silverman, Craig. “This analysis shows how viral fake election news stories outperformed real news on Facebook.” Buzzfeed, 16 Nov. 2016, www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/viral-fake-election-news-outperformed-real-news-on-facebook?Utm_term=.Lpjxvno7#.Gqvaz7oe. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

RECENT STUDY…

• Standford Study Transcript

• Prof. Wineburg states- “One mistake schools make is to block certain websites from students

while they are at school. In many schools there are Internet filters that direct students to

previously vetted sites and reliable sources of information. But what happens when they

leave school and they take out their phone and they look at their Twitter feed? How do they

become prepared to make the choices about what to believe, what to forward, what to post to

their friends, when they’ve given no practice in doing those kinds of things in school?”

• Do you agree? Should schools block certain websites? Why or why not?

TEN QUESTIONS FOR FAKE NEWS DETECTION

• News Literacy Project and Checkology created a checklist of “Ten Questions for Fake

News Detection.”

• Let’s discuss…

News Literacy Project- Nonpartisan national education nonprofit

that works with educators and journalists to teach middle school

and high school students how to sort fact from fiction in the digital

age.

Source: Silverman, Craig. “This analysis shows how viral fake election news stories outperformed real news on Facebook.” Buzzfeed, 16 Nov. 2016, www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/viral-fake-election-news-outperformed-real-news-on-facebook?Utm_term=.Lpjxvno7#.Gqvaz7oe. Accessed 23 Apr. 2017.

SOME TOOLS TO HELP:

• News Literacy Project Checklist

• How To Spot Fake News - 8 simple steps to discover the truth of a given news piece in front of you (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)

• Snopes.Com- fact checks Internet rumors and stories. Has been exposing false viral claims since the

mid 1990s.

• FactCheck.org – monitors the accuracy of U.S. Political stories.

• Politifact - verifies political news stories.

• The Most Hilarious Fake News Sites- be aware that these Satire (use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule) sites

exist!

BEST PRACTICES WHEN READING ARTICLES ONLINE…

• Be aware of key social media conventions- blue checkmark that

indicates an account was verified as legitimate by Twitter and Facebook.

• Pay attention to the domain and URL- Sites with such endings like

.Com.Co should make you raise your eyebrows and tip you off that you

need to dig around more to see if they can be trusted. abcnews.Com is a

legitimate news source, but abcnews.Com.Co is not

• Read the "about us" section- Most sites will have a lot of information

about the news outlet, the company that runs it, members of leadership,

and the mission and ethics statement behind an organization. The

language used here is straightforward. If it's melodramatic and seems

overblown, you should be skeptical.

BEST PRACTICES WHEN READING ARTICLES ONLINE…• Check the comment section- If a lot of these comments call out the article for being fake or

misleading, it probably is.

• Reverse image search- You can do this on Google by right-clicking on the image and

choosing to search google for it. If the image is appearing on a lot of stories about many

different topics, there's a good chance it's not actually an image of what it says it was on the

first story. Google image search- School logo

• More tips for spotting fake news:

• Http://aplus.Com/a/spotting-fake-news-internet?No_monetization=true

LET’S EVALUATE TOGETHER ON SNOPES:

INTERESTING ARTICLES TO EXPLORE…• CNN Article- “Is fake news fooling kids? New report says yes” –April 3rd, 2017

• Fake news might be a case of history repeating itself. Check out the role fake news has

played in U.S. History in this Washington Post piece: Fake news? That’s a very old story.

• Who are some of the people behind fake news? What would make a person want to create

a fake news story? This Eastern European teenager says he’s just giving people what they

want and making a lot more than the average yearly income of $5,000 in his hometown.

Take a look at this NBC news story: Fake news: how a partying macedonian teen earns

thousands publishing lies

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES…

•Research Paper Project Page

•Finding Reliable Resources Website

WORKS CITED:• Davis, Wynne. “Fake or Real? How to self-check the news and get the facts.” NPR, NPR, 5 dec. 2016,

www.Npr.Org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/05/503581220/fake-or-real-how-to-self-check-the-news-and-get-the-facts. Accessed 25 apr. 2017.

• “Did Fake News Influence The Outcome Of Election 2016?” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 18 Nov. 2016, www.Pbs.Org/Newshour/Extra/Daily_videos/Why-is-it-

important-for-news-sources-to-be-trustworthy/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

• “How To Spot Fake News.” IFLA, International Federation Of Library Associations and Institutions, 18 Apr. 2017, www.Ifla.Org/Publications/Node/11174. Accessed 24 Apr.

2017.

• “News And America's Kids.” www.Commonsensemedia.Org/Sites/Default/Files/Uploads/Research/2017_commonsense_newsandamericaskids_infographic.Pdf. Accessed

24 Apr. 2017.

• Saul, Isaac. “In 5 easy steps, you can avoid being fooled by the internet.” A plus, 1 Feb. 2015, aplus.Com/a/spotting-fake-news-internet?No_monetization=true. Accessed 27

Apr. 2017.

• Silverman, Craig. “This Analysis Shows How Viral Fake Election News Stories Outperformed Real News On Facebook.” Buzzfeed, 16 Nov. 2016,

www.Buzzfeed.Com/Craigsilverman/Viral-fake-election-news-outperformed-real-news-on-facebook?Utm_term=.Vwwrarpak#.Axdgjp13e. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

• “Stanford Study Finds Most Students Vulnerable To Fake News.” NPR, NPR, 22 Nov. 2016, Www.Npr.Org/2016/11/22/503052574/Stanford-study-finds-most-students-

vulnerable-to-fake-news. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

• “Ten Questions For Fake News Detection.” Www.Thenewsliteracyproject.Org/Sites/Default/Files/Go-tenquestionsforfakenewsfinal.Pdf. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.

• Wallace, Kelly. “Is 'Fake News' Fooling Kids? The Answer Is Yes.” CNN, Cable News Network, 3 Apr. 2017, Www.Cnn.Com/2017/03/10/Health/Fake-news-kids-common-

sense-media//. Accessed 24 Apr. 2017.