Fake News 2

 Fake news: can you spot it?

Skim read the two websites: go to these links and read them quickly. Make brief notes about the tree and the octopus.

https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/octopus-tree-of-oregon

Check the validity of the two websites using the FIVE Ws.: which site is fake? How do you know it’s fake? 

THE FIVE W-QUESTIONS FOR SPOTTING FAKE WEBSITES 

WHERE does the information come from? 

Look at the URL. Does it look familiar or credible? 

TIPS
Websites with these URLs are usually legitimate: .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov

Fake websites often have URLs that end with: lo, .com.co. Alternatively, fake URLs are incomplete. 

Fake websites have similar names to authentic sites, e.g. Sky Newz (instead of Sky News) 

WHEN was the post put online? 

What’s the date on the post? Is the date real? Is the post recent? 

TIP
Fake news is often posted on dates which don’t exist (e.g. 30 February) or on 1 April (April Fool’s Day). 

Always check the date. Sometimes the news was posted years ago but is still being circulated as ‘news’ 

WHO created the information? 

Who wrote the article? Who took the photo? 

TIPS
Real photos should always give the name of the person who took them (or explain where they come from).

Look at photos carefully. Could they have been Photoshopped? Check suspicious photos by doing a reverse Google image search. 

Other websites may have used the same photo for different news. 

WHAT does the post or website look like? 

Look at the layout. Is the website well presented and carefully organised?
Look at the headline. Is it sensational?
Is there an ‘About Us’ section with contact information? Are sources given for the information? Is the spelling and grammar correct? 

TIPS
Genuine websites usually look professional. They usually contain an ‘About Us’ section, contact information, sources and links to more information.

Check the spelling and grammar. Fake websites often contain mistakes in English. 

HOW do you know for certain that it’s true? 

Check the content again. Does any information seem unlikely? Too good (or too amazing) to be true? 

TIPS
Real news stories should appear in several news outlets, not just the one you’re looking at. Cross-check the information with a credible website to see if you can find the same story! 

Fake News 1

Learn about how fake news spread in the video below;  it is a Ted-Ed animation video so you can get the subtitles in English.

Watch the video and answer the questions.

•   What examples of circular reporting does the speaker mention?

•   How do wikis contribute to circular reporting?

•   What should we do to avoid circular reporting according to the video?

•   Have you seen people sharing fake news on social media pages? What types of behaviors did you notice when it happened?

•   What impact do you think fake news has had on you, or on people in your life?

•   What impact do you think fake news sites have on elections?

In this other video, you can learn about ways to identify fake news (Thanks to CristinaSkyBox for the video) 

Check out this online game: Factitious based on guessing what news is true and what is not. Then prepare an oral presentation about a True or a False News (not more than five minutes) and share it with your teacher before October 18th . Your classmates are going to guess if it is true or not in the next class sessions.