Introduction

The world wide web consumes our world now, and it is most people’s first stop when they want to find something out, mainly because of the wealth of information out there and the speed in which we can access it all. However, not all of the content is true or reliable, and it can be a minefield to find the answers we want whilst trusting our sources. 

There are so many options for getting news now. Traditional, more formal sources such as newspapers remain, but social media growth has led to many far less formal sources appearing too. The growth of the internet has put more information at our fingertips, but has perhaps also eroded some people’s trust in the news they find online, as there is so much misinformation, sharing of rumours and lies online. ‘Fake news’ is a well used term, and one that is often thrown around by politicians for a variety of reasons.  But misleading headlines, political allegiances, and biased or poor reporting can, at times,  be found in even the most reputable news companies. 

 

Activity 1

Put your class into small groups and ask them to make a list of places people can get their news. 

 

Activity 2.

Then do a quick poll of the class for the following questions:

• Who is interested in the news? - get a ‘yes/no’ split
• Where are you most likely to get your news? (use the following list and/or any that the groups came up with)
• Print newspapers
• Newspaper websites
• Media news sites (e.g. BBC, ITV, Sky News etc)
• Television 
• Radio
• Social media
• Podcasts
• From your friends and family
• What do you consider to be the most truthful source of news?

 

An Ofcom survey in 2020 found that 45% of people listed social media as somewhere they get their news, which was actually a drop of 5% from the previous year (49% in 2019), The survey also reported that people rate news found on social sites lower in a range of measures, including trust, impartiality and accuracy. So perhaps our view and trust of news on social media is decreasing.

This infographic shows some of the other key results of the Ofcom survey. Give each group a copy of the findings (printable version here). Ask them to analyse the statistics and consider: Can you explain any of the findings? Does anything surprise you? 

 

 

The survey reports that:

• As in previous years, just under six in ten (57%) 12-15 year olds are interested in news. These children primarily engage with news to understand what’s going on around them, to learn and to think about new things. Being 'too boring' remains the key reason for lack of interest in news, followed by a lack of relevance.
• Talking to the family (68%) and TV (67%) are the most common ways to find out about news amongst 12-15 year olds, followed by social media (55%) and talking to friends (49%). BBC One/BBC Two are still the most-used (41%) and most important news source (17%), although it is noteworthy that six of the top ten most used sources among 12-15s are social media sites.
  
• As in previous years, Family and Radio, then TV are considered to be the most truthful news sources among 12-15 year olds. Social media and friends are still considered the least truthful sources.

(Source - News Consumption in the UK: 2020, Ofcom, https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/201316/news-consumption-2020-report.pdf)

 

Consider with the class how these numbers relate to the findings of your earlier class poll. Ask the class what they think results might be like five years from now? Why?

Although this survey suggests a small movement away from using social media as a news source, many people still get their news in this way. 

 

Activity 3

In their groups, ask the class to come up with lists for the positives and negatives of getting your news from social media.

Take feedback from the groups, they may cover some of these points:

Positives

• Very fast and up to date, news outlets can post live updates and streams 24 hours a day. 
• You may get real perspectives from people that are actually involved in a news story as it happens as anyone can publish their stories. 

Negatives

• Can be opinion based news (if posted by individuals)
• Anyone can post what they want (within laws), it's not always easy to see the motive of the person posting the news. 
• People often repost stories without checking them, which can lead to the spread of misinformation. 
• Bots are very active on social media and are designed to spread a particular message or viewpoint. 
• The sheer amount of information can be overwhelming.
• Most people sit in a ‘social media silo’ or ‘echo chamber’ where they surround themselves with likeminded people/accounts, so are rarely challenged or encouraged to look at events from another perspective. This is perfectly normal and human nature. You’re more likely to be friends with like minded people.

This last point is an interesting one. Most people ‘like’ or ‘follow’ people or organisations that they like and have some kind of affinity to. For example, you may follow a political party, or even your favourite football team on social media, but how many people are likely to follow their direct rivals. This often results in us hearing news reported with an understandable bias towards the people and things we already agree with. 

Ask the class - Do you think the news sources you follow reinforce what you already believe or challenge you with a broader array of perspectives? Can you give some examples?

Get some feedback from the class about this and ask them to consider how they could address this to ensure they get a balanced perspective in their news. 

 

Fake news

Ask the class - Who regularly checks things before they share them on social media? How many reasons can you think of for why fake news might appear online?

Examples answers could include:

• Deliberately published to lie about something
• Somebody not checking their facts and getting something wrong unintentionally
• Somebody creating fake news for a joke and other sharing it believing it is real
• People creating sensational (fake or exaggerated) headlines as click bait to generate visitors to a website or followers online.

‘Fake news’ is a term that has become more prominent in the last few years due to the attention it has received during political campaigns. Take a look at this video from BBC Bitesize that examines just what fake news means, and what is bad about it:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zjykkmn

Fake news is misinformation or hoaxes that are deliberately intended to mislead people. This can be for a number of reasons, sometimes to gain financially or more often to get attention (positive or negative) for an individual, company or group.

 

Activity 4

Ask the class to take a look at this news story in their groups and decide if they think it is true or fake:

'One of a kind' puppy born with six legs and two tails - and it could be a big advantage

A puppy with six legs has been born in the US - and vets are describing her as a "miracle".

It's believed that Skipper was supposed to have a twin, but they failed to completely split apart… meaning she has twice as many body parts from the waist down.

Although she has just one head and chest, she's got two pelvic regions, two reproductive systems, and two tails. Veterinary specialists say they haven't been able to find any published case studies of a puppy being born alive with her congenital condition.

Skipper was born in Oklahoma City on 16 February, and at a check-up 10 days later, she was described as "strong and determined". Because her condition is congenital as opposed to genetic, vets are optimistic that Skipper has a good life ahead of her.

At this point, they don't think she'll need to have any of her legs removed because they are all responding to stimulus. Her extra legs could even serve as an advantage and help with her stability and balance as she learns how to walk.

The top priority now is teaching her human mum how to perform a simple range of motion exercises that will help keep her legs strong. 

With 50% more paws to love, offers have been coming in thick and fast to support Skipper as she grows up. The pampered pooch's family have been offered funds to foot her veterinary bills… and a lifetime supply of treats to boot.

Neel Veterinary Hospital added: "Positively, her organs appear to be in great shape, she is peeing and pooping, and is very strong! She nurses well and is growing appropriately so far."

 

Take feedback from each group - who thinks this is a real story? How can we tell? 

 

This video from BBC journalist Tina Daheley gives some great advice for how she fact checks a story when researching and reporting it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z63wwty

 

Let’s look again at that story about the puppy. This is the same article in its original form:

https://news.sky.com/story/one-of-a-kind-puppy-born-with-six-legs-and-two-tails-and-it-could-be-a-big-advantage-12230206

 

Let’s apply the same principles to check the story:

• Where does the story come from? - Neel Veterinary hospital appears to be genuine and posted the story on their Facebook page
• Is Sky news a source you can trust? - They seem to be. Their mission statement says so, and they sign up to The Trust Project. 
• Does the URL (web address) look real? Is this the real Sky news site? - Yes, https://news.sky.com/ is the official Sky news website.
• Is the author genuine? - Yes Connor Sephton is a genuine journalist. 
• Has this same story been reported in other places? - Yes
• Are there any reports of it being fake news? - No
• Images? - Images and video footage are available in other places - https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-27/skipper-the-puppy-born-with-six-legs-is-a-miracle

 

 

Activity 5

Ask the class to look at these three headlines and come up with an initial decision about whether it is a true or fake news story. 

• 23 meter snow snake found in Colorado
• Goats take over Welsh town
• Eating more than 5 bananas a day can kill you

 

Then ask them to dig a bit deeper, look for trusted sources and justify their decisions.

Gather feedback from the groups on their decisions, reasons for their conclusions and the evidence they found. 

 

Plenary

What does the future hold for news? Will the fake news problems get worse?

It's very unlikely that we will stop getting our news online in the future, so it's important that we can find ways to separate truths from lies online. Many news organisations believe they themselves have a vital role to play in this, and to restore some public faith trusting the news. The Trust Project is trying to lead the way with this. 

“Our journey started when Sally Lehrman began asking why technology couldn’t support news trustworthiness and integrity instead of driving it down. But what does “trustworthy” really mean? The Trust Project set off on in-depth interviews asking people what they valued in news, when they trusted it, and when they didn’t. Now, with hundreds of news partners and alignment with leading digital platforms, The Trust Project leads the way in news transparency with our globally recognized Trust Indicators.”

(Source - The Trust Project - https://thetrustproject.org/)

Partners in the Trust Project agree to abide by these principles and commit to fairness and accuracy when reporting the news. 

Over 200 news organisations have now signed up to the Trust Project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lZv8pX_gu4&t=48s