Fake News

Fake news is written and published to look like authentic news. It is

made up and not true and can be used for propaganda. It is written to
interest or shock people enough that they will want to read it further and
believe it.
Fake news websites and channels push their fake news stories to try and
mislead viewers. They want to spread incorrect information through
social media networks and word-of-mouth.

Types of Fake News

Some news articles have misleading headlines. They are written to grab
the reader’s attention but do not match what is written in the article.
Clickbait is used online and encourages viewers to click onto other links
that will take them to other pages or advertisements.
Journalism can also be a source of misleading information when the
facts and information have not been researched and checked correctly
before being published.
Propaganda is a type of fake news where a person or group is trying
to promote one side of an argument or opinion. This is usually seen in
politics.
Satire stories are written about people or an event
for entertainment and are mostly not true. They are
more commonly found on social media and websites.
Unfortunately, sometimes people read these stories and
believe them because they do not realise they are made up.

Fake News and Social Media

Anyone can share information online, whether it is true or not. This is

especially the case with social media, making it one of the most common
ways of publishing fake news today. Fake accounts
or names can be used to hide who is creating the
fake news, pages and clickbait advertisements. Lots
of newspapers and channels have social media pages
which make it harder to know what is fake news or not.

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How to Spot Fake News

When using social media, reading news articles or researching on the

internet, you need to use critical thinking skills to figure out if it is fake
news or not. If it sounds amazing or shocking, there’s a high chance it is
fake news.
Here are some tips to help decide if something is true or not:
• Check where a news story has come from. Is it a well-known news site or
a website you can trust?
• If you are researching, it is always a good idea to double-check the facts
you read with a different source.
• If it is an opinion piece of writing, check who wrote it. If it has political
content, is it just showing one side from a political party?
• If it is a news article, does it have a journalists’ name on it? Does it have
a recent date on it?
• Check the spelling and grammar of advertisements and stories. If you
spot some errors, this is a sign that it is probably fake news.
• Read stories about the same topic from other sources.
• Be careful when looking at photo images used in fake news
stories or advertisements. Photos can easily be changed
through software programmes. You can always do an
internet search on the photo to see where it came from.

Glossary:
authentic – Something that is genuine and true.
journalism – The creation of news articles and reports.
propaganda – Misleading information used to promote a certain
point of view.
satire – A genre of literature that uses wit, irony and sarcasm to criticise
someone or something.

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 Fake News

Questions
1. What is a clue that a news story is fake news? Tick one.

It is on a well-known website.
It has a journalists’ name on it.
It has spelling and grammar errors.
The same story is on other news websites.

2. Draw three lines and match the type of fake news with its definition.

The headline does not match

clickbait
the content of the article.

Viewers are encouraged

satire to click onto other links
and pages.

Humorous entertaining
misleading headlines stories that have been made
up about people of events.


3. Find and copy one word that means the same as genuine.


4. Fill in the missing word.

It is written to interest or people enough that they will want to

read it further and believe it.
5. What is the type of fake news commonly found in politics?


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 Fake News

6. In your own words, explain what fake news is.




7. Explain why it is important to use multiple sources when you are researching a
topic.



8. Can you always believe photos? Explain your answer.




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 Fake News
Fake news is false information or propaganda that has been written and
published to look like authentic news. It is also known as hoax news.
It is written to initially interest or shock people so they will look into
it further.
Fake news websites and channels push their content in an attempt to
mislead viewers. They aim to spread untrue information through social
media networks and word-of-mouth.

Types of Fake News

Sometimes misleading headlines are given to news articles to attract

the readers’ attention so they will continue to read the article. But the
headline does not match the content of the article.
Clickbait is a type of advertisement used online. It can be in the form of a
news article where the headline encourages the viewer to click into it but
the content is more of an advertisement. It can also encourage viewers to
click onto links that take them to other pages or advertisements.
Sometimes journalism can be a source of misleading information when
the facts and information they are providing have not been correctly
researched or checked before being published.
Propaganda is where a person or group is attempting to promote one
side of an argument or opinion. This type of fake news is commonly seen
in politics.
Satire stories are written purely for entertainment
purposes and are mostly not true. They are usually
written about people or a recent event. These
stories used to be written for newspapers and
magazines but are more commonly found on social
media and websites. Unfortunately, a reader might
not regularly follow the writer and will realise the
text is satire, therefore they believe it’s true.

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Fake News and Social Media

Today, social media is one of the main ways fake news is being delivered.
Information can be created and shared online by anyone, whether it is
true or not. This is especially the case with social media sites where fake
accounts, names and domains can easily be created by those who create
fake news, pages and clickbait advertisements. Many
newspapers and news channels have social media
pages, making it difficult for viewers to decide what
may be fake news or authentic news.

How to Spot Fake News

When you are using social media, reading news articles or researching on
the internet, you need to use critical thinking skills to decide if something
is fake news or not. If it sounds really amazing or really shocks you, it
could be fake news.
Here are some tips to help decide if what you are reading is true or fake:
• Check the source of a news article. Has it come from a genuine news site
or website that you can trust?
• If you are carrying out research, it is always a good idea to double-check
the facts from different sources.
• Is it an opinionated article or story? Does it have political content and is
it just showing one side from a political party?
• Always check news articles have a journalist's name on them. Does
it have a recent date on it? If the date is old, it might not be as
relevant anymore.
• Does it look professional? Check the spelling and grammar of
advertisements and stories. If you spot errors for some of these, it is a
possibility that it is fake news.
• Read stories about the same content from other sources to confirm what
you have read or to gather different viewpoints.
• Be careful when you come across photo images that may be used in fake
news stories or advertisements. Remember that photos can easily be
changed through software programmes. You can always do an internet
search to check the source of photos that are used.

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 Fake News

Glossary:
• authentic - Something that is genuine and true.
• hoax - Something fake or untrue that is presented as real or true.
• journalism - The creation of news articles and reports.
• propaganda - Misleading information used to promote a certain
point of view.

• satire - A genre of literature that uses wit, irony and sarcasm to criticise
someone or something.

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Questions
1. What type of fake news is humorous and has untrue stories about people or events?
Tick one.
clickbait
journalism
propaganda
satire
2. Draw four lines to match the clue to if it is fake news or genuine news.

It is from a trusted
Fake news
news outlet.

It has spelling and

Genuine news
grammatical errors.

The headline doesn’t match

Fake news
the story.

It is named by the person

Genuine news
that wrote it.

3. What is the title of a person who writes news stories?

4. What type of fake news is opinionated and shows one side?

5. Fill in the missing words.
They aim to untrue information through social media
and word-of- .
6. Summarise what fake news is.

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7. In your own words, explain what clickbait is.


8. Name three news outlets that you can trust. 


9. Why do creators of fake news want to interest and shock the viewer?
•

• 

•


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 Fake News
Fake news is false information; it can also include propaganda which
promotes a certain opinion or point of view. Fake news is written and
published to look like authentic news to trick viewers. It is also known as
hoax news - something fake or untrue that is presented as real. Fake news
is often written with the purpose of initially shocking or interesting the
readers enough that they will want to continue reading.
Fake news websites and channels push their content in an attempt to
mislead viewers. They aim to spread misinformation via social media
networks and word-of-mouth.

Types of Fake News

Sometimes the headlines for news articles are written to grab the
attention of the viewer so they will continue to read it when in reality,
the headline does not actually reflect the content of the article.
Often, advertisements, pages or online articles are used to create
excitement for the viewer, encouraging them to click onto other links
provided by the creator. Clickbait like this normally leads to more
advertisements.
Another source of fake news is poor journalism. If facts are not correctly
researched and checked before being published, viewers can be misled
with incorrect information.
Propaganda is biased and used to promote one side of an argument or
opinion. This type of fake news is commonly utilised in politics when one
political party is attempting to promote their policies.
Satire stories are written purely for entertainment purposes and can be
quite humorous. They are usually written about people or a topical event
or issue. Satirical authors often use wit, irony and sarcasm to criticise
someone or something. These pieces used to commonly be written for
newspapers or magazines but are now routinely discovered on
social media. Some social media websites are created purely
to share satirical stories. Unfortunately, sometimes readers do
not regularly follow the pages or writers so do not realise they
are satire.

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Fake News and Social Media

Information can be created, published and shared online by anyone,

whether it is genuine or not. Today, social media is one of the main
platforms to publish fake news. Fake accounts, names, pages and
domains are frequently created to hide the identity
of who is creating the fake news, pages and clickbait
advertisements. Many news outlets have social media
pages to share their news stories, making it difficult to
distinguish between fake or authentic news.

How to Spot Fake News

When you are browsing social media, reading news articles or researching
topics online, you need to use critical thinking skills to determine whether
something is fake news or not. If it sounds too amazing or too shocking to
be true, there is a high chance it is fake news. Below are some tips to help
you determine if the information you are viewing is authentic or a hoax.
• Confirm the sources of news articles and stories you read. Has it come
from a reputable news outlet or website that you know and can trust?
• When you carry out research, it is always good to use multiple sources to
check the information you gather.
• Is it an opinionated article or story? If so, who has produced it? If it is a
story showing a negative viewpoint of a political party, has it come from
an opposing party?
• It is important to check that a news article states the journalist’s name
who wrote it. Does it have a recent date on it? If the date is old, the facts
might now be irrelevant - new, more up-to-date information may be
available.
• How professional does it look? Incorrect spelling and grammar in
advertisements and stories are a sign that it might not be authentic.
• It is always a good idea to read stories about the same topic
from different sources to confirm what you have read or to
give you different viewpoints.
• Remember that photos and images can easily be
altered through editing software programmes. You can
do an internet search on a photo to confirm where it
originated from.

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 Fake News

Questions
1. What other words mean the same as authentic? Tick two.
true
incorrect
negative
genuine
2. Draw three lines to match the word with its meaning.
To trick or give untrue
propaganda
information.

Stories that are biased and

humorous
one-sided.

hoax To be funny.

3. What is the type of fake news that encourages viewers to click on other links
and pages?

4. Fill in the missing words.
We need to use thinking skills to whether it is
news or not.
5. How is satire different from news stories?


6. ‘Unfortunately, sometimes readers do not regularly follow the pages or writers so do
not realise they are satire.’ Why could this be considered unfortunate?

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7. Explain how you can check if a news story is genuine or fake news. 


8. Explain the problems with social media and fake news.


9. Name four news outlets that you can trust. 
•

•

•

•

10. In your own words, explain how fake news can have a negative impact. Include at
least two reasons. 

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