SLO #3: News Media: How (and why) to spot “fake” news. 70% of students will successfully research and evaluate the news media in an effort to identify reputable journalism containing more accurate political content. [SLO #3 fulfills the following Program Level Outcomes: Communication, Critical Thinking, Social and Personal Responsibility, as well as the following Course Level Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.]
Activity for Assessment:
Read the following: http://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/ and Watch the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYc-hd1QSwA
Take this quiz: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/cognitive-biases/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.9b2747fd076b ( right click and choose “open link on incognito window”)
- If you had to help someone spot “fake news,” what would you tell them? Choose a news article from a reputable media outlet and compare it to an online story that you know is fake.
- Using the checklist provided on the fact check web site, compare the two. Although fake news is not new, it seems harder to distinguish and more accepted now. Why? How will this acceptance of fake news impact our democracy?
- How has the idea of “fake news” impacted our ability to be really informed on the important topics of the day? What steps can we take to become informed with legitimate information?
- Is “fake news” really all that recent, or do we hear more about it as a result of the recent election cycle and events that have followed?
- What are your thoughts on the quiz you took?
