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Lewis HS FCPS
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Government: Fake News: Activity 3: Is it news?

Activity #3: Is it news?
Step 1: Click on the image and review

Is it news?

Step 2: Compare these two links

Which one do you think is true?  Why or why not?
1 - Eat This Not That: Shocking Facts About Farmed Salmon
2 - Washington State Department of Health: Farmed vs. Wild Salmon

Extension activity:

A Closer Look at News and Opinion

  • Create a list of current events
    • Focus on events or issues that have generated some controversy and diverging opinions.
  • Select a topic to focus on (Individually or in small groups)
  • Curate a collection of
    • 3 news stories
    • 3 opinion pieces
    • Use the Is It News? poster to help identify the correct content.
  • After reviewing the collection, write a short essay comparing and contrasting the news and opinion content
  • Explain the role of each in becoming fully informed about the topic.

Step 3:

  • Select one of the following options
  • Answer the questions (either individually or in pairs)
  • Discuss

Options:

Discussion questions:

  • Which artifacts were easiest to categorize as news or not? 
  • Which artifacts did you struggle with or change your mind about?
    • What qualities made it hard to tell if those artifacts were news or not? 
      • What more would you need to see, know or do to categorize it? 
  • Which characteristics of news were you able to spot quickly?
  • Which ones required more time?
  • How can you use this method in your daily life?
  • Why is it important to be able to tell the difference between news and all the other types of content?