What is Fake News?

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What is fake news? Why is it so harmful? Who creates it? Why do they create it? Keep reading to find out!

fake news

Preparation

Match the vocabulary words with their definitions.

fake/a liar/fabricated/allegation/a conspiracy theory/denounce

  1. a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof
  2. inform against
  3. a person who does not tell the truth
  4. not genuine
  5. invent something in order to deceive
  6. a belief that some covert but influential organization is responsible for an unexplained event
1. allegation 2. denounce 3. a liar 4. fake 5. fabricated 6. a conspiracy theory

Reading

What is Fake News?

In 2014, Nurse Kaci Hickox was quarantined in her house due to the Ebola crisis scare. She was a nurse with Doctors Without Borders, who had just recently returned from West Africa to help with the Ebola crisis there. However, she had tested negative for the virus.

This store about Hickox is one of the most famous examples of the growing phenomenon called “fake news.” New Jersey Governor Christie put out a statement staying “There’s no question the woman is ill, the question is what is her illness.”[1]https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/real-consequences-fake-news-stories-brain-cant-ignore The internet and the modern news did the rest. Stoked by both legitimate and satirical sites, the general public went into a state of panic. Hickox’s landlord was asking her to move out and random people were threatening her. In fact, the government was trying to quarantine her even though there was no official court ordered one at the time. Needless to say, her life was turned upside down due to a rapidly growing snowball of fabricated articles claiming she was infected with the Ebola virus.

Fake News is difficult to control for many reasons. Many people mistrust the established media, so when they publish things to try and repudiate the false news, it has a limited effect. In many cases, they will just go to other sources to get their news anyways. In addition, with the current rapid news cycle, the established media doesn’t have time to check their sources. Many times this leads them to just repeating the phony news that everyone is seeing anyways.

So why do people create fake news to begin with? Why are their people out there motivated to dupe the public? There are actually many different reasons for this. One of the most popular reasons is political. The writer of the article creates the phony news in order to belittle or incriminate in the court of public opinion their opponent. Other sites, such as the Onion, create fake news as satire. It is through this comedic form of writing that they can comment on issues in our society. Some people are motivated simply by money. For example, one article that talked about Mexico closing its borders reportedly earned around $6,000![2]https://blog.adbeat.com/fake-news/ Needless to say, there is some big money in it for the unscrupulous.

So how can you protect yourself from fake news? First, make sure the sites you are getting your news from are legitimate. Second, don’t take articles at face value. Do your own research. If they give sources and quotes, go and find the original sources for this to make sure it is real. Lastly, don’t spread fake news yourself. Only by working together, can we make the news more truthful.

True or False

Select true or false for each statement.

  1. Kaci Hickox went to North Africa.
  2. People spread fake news as a form of satire.
  3. Sharing everything you find online is a great way not spread fake news.
  4. People tend to trust the established media.
  5. Christie knew exactly what illness Hickox had.
  6. You can earn a lot of money by creating fake news articles.
1. False 2. True 3. False 4. False 5. False 6. True

Multiple Choice

Choose the best answer for each question.

1.Why did Kaci Hickox go to West Africa?

a. She went for vacation.

b. It was a connecting flight back home.

c. She was their to help as a nurse for the Ebola crisis.

d. She has family from there.

2. Which of the following reasons is not given as a difficulty for stopping the spread of fake news?

a. The general public mistrust the established media.

b. The news cycle is too quick to check sources.

c. There are many fake news websites.

d. Fake news looks like real news.

3. Who is Christie?

a. Head of the health organization Doctors Without Borders.

b. Governor of New Jersey.

c. A news reporter.

d. Owner of a fake news website.

4. How does the author feel about stopping the spread of fake news?

a. pessimistic

b. extremely optimistic

c. doubtful

d. cautiously optimistic

5. The Onion is a…

a. satirical site

b. established news agency

c. a governmental organization

1. c 2. d 3. b 4. d 5. a

Vocabulary Fill

Complete the sentences with the following vocabulary words.

fake/a liar/fabricated/allegation/conspiracy theory/denounce

  1. After the trial, it was found that the prosecutor had __________ evidence in order to falsely imprison the defendant.
  2. She is such __________. Why can’t she ever tell the truth.
  3. The idea that there are aliens in Area 51 is a popular __________.
  4. Don’t worry! It is not real and not worth a lot of money. It is a __________.
  5. The government will __________ any use of violence.
  6. The lawyer made a big __________ of corruption.
1. fabricated 2. a liar 3. conspiracy theory 4. fake 5. denounce 6. allegation

Discussion

Where do you usually get your news from?

Is fake news a problem?

Can you think of any other examples of phony news?

If this is too difficult to understand, check out the C1 grammar points to help out!

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