Can you spot misinformation? According to an Ipsos Public Affairs survey done for Buzzfeed News, 75% of Americans surveyed struggled to spot misinformation (Silverman & Singer-Vine, 2016). That’s 75% of Americans surveyed who cannot determine if the information they depend on to make critical decisions is misleading or inaccurate. With the upcoming election cycle, evolving disease epidemics, and financial concerns, it is important to develop your ability to critically evaluate a news article or video for is accuracy and intent.
Let’s see if you can spot misinformation.
Instructions
Read through the following articles. Answer the guiding questions for each article, then decide if the news article is real or fake.
Guiding Questions:
- What is the news article’s main point?
- Does the article cite events, statistics, or other supporting evidence? How relevant is that evidence to the main point of the article?
- Does the content of the article corroborate with what you already know or what is already out there in the news?
- Determine the article’s purpose. Why was the article written (e.g.: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain)?
Download the attached worksheet and list of quizzes to do this activity: