You’ll get to learn about a number of things you can do to check if the news story you’re seeing or reading is real and true.
A good starting point is to simply ask yourself:
- Is this real? It may sound simple but how many of us really stop to think about the information we see and share?
You should use the acronym REAL to**:**
- Ask really? Could this really be true? Do I really believe this?
- Look for evidence is your next stage. Who is the source or author? Can they be trusted? Why are they sharing this? What evidence do they have to support what they are saying?
- See if the evidence adds up – do the dates, facts and figures all support the story or the claims being made?
- Finally look around - are other sources carrying the story as well? Does this reflect what you are seeing elsewhere?
For schools wanting more information about ways of working out what is REAL go to our .
Knowing who to trust. video
In this video you'll hear from Amol Rajan, the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s media editor, journalist Mukul Devichand and Rachel Schraer from Â鶹ԼÅÄ Reality Check.
Recognising fake news. video
In this video you'll hear from Amol Rajan, the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s media editor, and journalists Natalie Miller, Mukul Devichand and Rachel Schraer from Â鶹ԼÅÄ Reality Check.
Numbers and the tricks they play. video
When you’re looking at news stories remember that it’s not just the words you need to take notice of but the numbers too.
Lesson 1: Real versus fake news. video
This lesson will give you a broad understanding of the term ‘fake news’ and the skills and techniques to distinguish between what’s false or fake and what’s real.
Lesson 2: Sources and who to trust. video
This lesson plan will give you an understanding of the importance and use of sources and ways to identify which ones are reliable and trustworthy and why it’s recommended to use more than one.
Lesson 3: Social media, images and data. video
This lesson will demonstrate how to spot whether a social media feed is genuine or fake, to consider the manipulation of images and think carefully about how the addition of numbers to a story may not be a clear as it first seems.
