Young fact-checkers explain how to discern info online

Overview

PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, in partnership with the Poynter Institute's MediaWise, hosted “Face the Facts: Election 2020 Youth Town Hall.” The virtual event engaged students and first-time voters to be prepared and better informed ahead of the November elections.

Watch the video below with students and then answer the discussion questions to learn how teen fact-checkers sift through a sea of misinformation to find trusted sources.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

First, have your students identify the 5Ws and an H:

Who is offering insights on misinformation in this segment and what are their backgrounds?
What are some types of misinformation common online?
When and where are people exposed to misinformation, according to the three students reporters in the segment?
Why do fact checkers and journalists have a hard time keeping up with misinformation online?
How can you assess whether information is likely false or misleading, according to the student reporters in the segment?

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

What tools for assessing misinformation did you find particularly helpful?
Have you ever tried to determine the reliability of memes or social media posts before? If so, what method did you use?
Have you ever used a reverse image search or lateral reading to try and determine the reliability of a meme, post or article?
How would you determine the objective or bias of an information source if you wanted to test its credibility?

***Questions were written by SRL’s sister site, PBS NewsHour Extra***

Resources

More from Face the Facts:

Elections, misinformation & the news

Digital Citizenship

Students recognize the responsibilities and opportunities for positively contributing to their digital communities. (ISTE)

Empowered Learner

Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences. (ISTE)

Gathering and Evaluating Sources

Whether students are constructing opinions, explanation, or arguments, they will gather information from a variety of sources and evaluate the relevance of that information. (NCSS D3.1.9-12 - D3.2.9-12)

Analyze the legal and ethical responsibilities required in the arts, audio/visual technology and communications workplace.

CCTC AR 4.1: Analyze the legal and ethical responsibilities required in the arts, audio/visual technology and communications workplace.

Civic and Political Institutions

In order to act responsibly and effectively, citizens must understand the important institutions of their society and the principles that these institutions are intended to reflect. That requires mastery of a body of knowledge about law, politics, and government. (NCSS D2.Civ.1.9-12 - D2.Civ.6.9-12)

Speaking and Listening - Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5: Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Speaking and Listening - Comprehension and Collaboration

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

Writing - Research to Build and Present Knowledge

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Face the Facts