Fake News: Media Representations of "Truth"

Abstract

Since the 2016 election, calls of "fake news" have been abundant. At times, this literally does refer to fabricated stories. However, "fake news" might also refer to stories in which some relevant information is omitted or highlighted in order to give the story a particular angle. Given the way that many students consume news (i.e., through social media)...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Communication and Information Technologies

Resource Type(s):

Class Activity

Class Level(s):

Any Level

Class Size(s):

Medium

Usage Notes

This activity should take around 45 minutes. It may be adapted to cover any social issue or problem in order to keep it contemporary and match class topical needs.

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Analyze the similarities and differences in how a particular topic is presented across a variety of news sources
2. Categorize news sources as more or less biased and compare that categorization to national estimates
3. Generalize knowledge about a particular topic based on data collected across news sources

Goal Assessment(s):

1. In-class student group worksheet and discussion
2. "Group representatives line up" in-class exercise
3. In-class student group worksheet and discussion