What is fake news? How can the news be wrong? How do we know if what we’re reading is true or not? The concept of fake news and the media as a whole is discussed as part of the What’s the Issue? series. What’s the Issue asks “what’s all the fuss about?,” reviewing what is at stake when we think about fake news aimed at helping young people understand this difficult subject and provide them with tools to inform their own opinions on the issue.
Educators have long struggled to teach students to be critical consumers of the information that they encounter. This struggle is exacerbated by the amount of information available thanks to the Internet and mobile devices. Students must learn how to determine whether or not the information they are accessing is reputable.
The Conspiracy Chart organizes conspiracy theories threat level and link to reality. The chart, developed by Abbie Richards, a science researcher and disinformation and misinformation expert, has gone viral bringing widespread exposure to harmful conspiracy theories.
