Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation
Every time you're online, you are bombarded by pictures, articles, links and videos trying to tell their story. Unfortunately, not all of these stories are true. Sometimes they want you to click on another story or advertisement at their own site, other times they want to upset people for political reasons. These days it's so easy to share information. These stories circulate quickly, and the result is … fake news.
There is a range of fake news: from crazy stories which people easily recognise to more subtle types of misinformation. Experts in media studies and online psychology have been examining the fake news phenomenon. Read these tips, and don't get fooled!
1. Check the source
Look at the website where the story comes from. Does it look real? Is the text well written? Are there a variety of other stories or is it just one story? Fake news websites often use addresses that sound like real newspapers, but don't have many real stories about other topics. If you aren't sure, click on the 'About' page and look for a clear description of the organisation.
2. Watch out for fake photos
Many fake news stories use images that are Photoshopped or taken from an unrelated site. Sometimes, if you just look closely at an image, you can see if it has been changed. Or use a tool like Google Reverse Image search. It will show you if the same image has been used in other contexts.
3. Check the story is in other places
Look to see if the story you are reading is on other news sites that you know and trust. If you do find it on many other sites, then it probably isn't fake (although there are some exceptions), as many big news organisations try to check their sources before they publish a story.
4. Look for other signs
There are other techniques that fake news uses. These include using ALL CAPS and lots of ads that pop up when you click on a link. Also, think about how the story makes you feel. If the news story makes you angry, it's probably designed to make you angry.
If you know these things about online news, and can apply them in your everyday life, then you have the control over what to read, what to believe and most importantly what to share. If you find a news story that you know is fake, the most important advice is: don't share it!
Of course, I am worried about this problem because it is becoming more complicated day by day.
Yes, I read fake news almost every day. The last one I read was about a female boxer who someone said was actually a man.
This fake news came on social media initially by Italian politicians and the reason was mainly ideological.
I am very worried about false news but fortunately I think I can recognize them. One thing I do immediately is look for the same notice online (social media and online newspapers) and usually I discovered it very soon.
Thank you for sharing tips about preventing by fake news. It is crucial nowadays, especially elderly people might be able to believe fake news. Thank you so much to inform us.
Mostly fake news is post on social media, the political fake news is horrible, if u feel angry then that maybe a fake news to attack opposition politicians party, keep thinking yourself, that can keep your mind clarity
This material is very educuated for us, whose using internet and social media in a twenty per seven in our daily life.
Have you ever read a fake news story online? Are you worried about this problem?
Yes, I have encountered many times with fake news. Fake news a published by those who want to increase traffic on their website or want to earn by fooling someone. Mostly, fake news is found on social media. I was also fooled by one fake news that was coin trading. The person posted portfolios of many people who were successful but actually, the information was fake. I invested some money and after that, they disappeared. Many of these types of fake news are revolving on social media and many users are fooled by that type of fake news.
Hello,thanks you british council for wonderful lessons.In my country many fake news but I dont trust him.I want to thanks for good advice!
Yes, I have read a fake news, and nowadays, when social media is a big part of modern society it's easily been fooled by fake news, even on TV, where is ''verified publications'', because of propaganda. Yes, I'm worried, but I understand that it can't be changed, always will be fake news, because it's bring a lot of money and it's a tool to control a people's mindes. So, for me the best advice is to compare the information from different sourses, read books and limit yourself to only important information, because the mojority is a trash.
I think it's now enough to spot fake news, nowadays. Trustful inform agencies can post fake news, too, because of not enough deep fact check. Some news look like true sometimes and before someone recognize that it's fake, it could already make the damage. Today, in current political environment, there are extremely much fakes that sometimes approved and posted by huge media like BBC or NY Times. You need more time to check all facts and recognize is this article a fake or not. The people majority often don't do that because of the time's lack.
P.S. Do you have any lessons about punctuation in English?
Hello Safe_Mode,
At them moment we don't have any lessons specifically on punctuation, I'm afraid.
There are some useful pages on the Cambridge English website:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/punctuation
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/activities-for-learners/b2w005-full-stops-and-commas
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team