This is not fake news: 30 seconds before believing it!

Since the web and social media have skyrocketed in popularity, the fake news phenomenon is also following the wave. In fact, before, falsehoods circulated by word of mouth or were simply blocked and verified when the time came to talk about it on the air (radio or television) or to write it in a journal.

(The content of this text is taken from the following site: https://30secondes.org/module/quest-ce-quune-fausse-nouvelle/)

Now that everyone has access to almost all platforms to express themselves, how do you differentiate the true from the false? What is the role of school in all of this? The professionals behind #30seconds before believing it offer us explanations and training courses to help our young people find their way around.

Fake news: a very present phenomenon

Expression “Fake news” popularized during the election of Donald Trump does not come out of nowhere. In fact, we are all surrounded by news which is not really news and which has a purpose other than to inform us, that is to misinform us. In fact, fake news sounds like real news. Yet it is made to deceive people. It can benefit someone or a group of people politically, socially or economically. There are several types of fake news: those that are scary, those that aim to sell a product, those that fuel myths and / or conspiracies, those that are hoaxes, etc. The more we talk about them, the more they will be present and the greater the negative impact will be.  

Our students are therefore confronted every day with this kind of content given their growing use of digital tools. As an educator, it is our duty to educate them and give them leads in order to discern the true from the false.

The formation of the Professional Federation of Quebec Journalists

This organization offers graduate schools the opportunity to experience training based on research and findings related to the Web consumption of students of this age. Keeping in mind that the first source of information for young people is the internet, we offer them tools for spotting fake news and raising awareness in relation to the impact that news created from scratch can have.

The educational tool presented by journalists who travel to schools contains not only examples likely to interest their young audience, but also explanations to better understand journalistic work, and therefore to better understand the positive impact of a responsible press.

In short, it's all-inclusive about fake news hosted by people making real news! How to be more credible?

To take advantage of this training, go to the following website and register directly online. It is also possible to consult additional sheets in order to continue in the same content following the training.  

Good discovery!

Here are some resources for teaching fake news to your students:

• Countering the phenomenon of fake news (30seconds.org)
• How to spot fake news (banq.qc.ca)
• The fake news detector (SAÉ de Québec Numérique)
• Towards a positive identity in the digital age (SAÉ of the CSDL)