It’s becoming more and more relevant for readers and social media users to distinguish facts from fake news. Recent pieces detailing how to do so are everywhere, but here are just two.
A recent article in Fortune Magazine speaks with several professors and students about the importance of education in resolving this issue.
“I think only education can solve this problem,” said Pat Winters Lauro, a professor at Kean University in New Jersey who began teaching a course on news literacy this semester.
Read more in Fortune Magazine.
Additionally, a piece from The Daily Mail shares tips many teachers are using in identifying fake news lessons:
- URL look odd? That “com.co” ending on an otherwise authentic-looking website is a red flag. When in doubt, click on the “contact” and “about” links to see where they lead. A major news organization probably isn’t headquartered in a house.
- Does it make you mad? False reports often target emotions with claims of outlandish spending or unpatriotic words or deeds. If common sense tells you it can’t be true, it may not be.
- If it’s real, other news sites are likely reporting it.
- How is the writing? Caps lock and multiple exclamation points don’t have a place in most real newsrooms.
- Who are the writers and the people in the story? Google names for clues to see if they are legitimate, or not.
- What are fact-checking sites like Snopes.com and FactCheck.org finding?
- It might be satire. Sometimes foolish stories aren’t really meant to fool.
- Think twice before sharing. Today, everyone is a publisher.
Read more at The Daily Mail.
Image courtesy of The Daily Mail.
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