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Fake News: Evaluating News Sources: Effects of Fake News

This guide illustrates how to identify fake news stories and how to fact-check and evaluate them.

Students & Fake News

Video: The Effect of a Fake News Story

Source:  Ted Talk from TED.com
CC BY -NC-NC 4.0

 

Dangers of Fake News

Many people have a difficult time distinguishing between real news and fake news which can have negative consequences.

  • Creates confusion about important issues (individual, social and political)
  • Distorts people's view of reality
  • Can cause conflict between people
  • Can be harmful to a person's health or put people in dangerous situations
  • Destroy one's credibility by using fake news and misleading sources

People need to research the facts and read different perspectives of information so they can form their own opinions and use information wisely in making decisions.

Fake News is a Critical Problem (survey)

Graph about impact of fake news

Many Americans Say Made-Up News is a Critical Problem that Needs to be Fixed 
  Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C.
(June 5, 2019)

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