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Recognising fake news

BBC Teach > Young Reporter > Real news

Download video transcript (PDF)

The BBC defines fake news as:

  • false information distributed deliberately, usually for political or commercial purposes

But for others fake news has become a catch all term to dismiss a story, claim or news report.

In this video BBC editors and journalists:

  • look at different types of fake news and false and inaccurate information
  • explain some of the reasons why these stories are made and spread

For schools wanting more information about the types of fake and false information go to our lesson plan.

Knowing who to trust
video

Knowing who to trust

In this video you'll hear from Amol Rajan, the BBC’s media editor, journalist Mukul Devichand and Rachel Schraer from BBC Reality Check.

Checking the story
video

Checking the story

In this video you will hear from BBC journalists Natalie Miller, Alex Murray and Rachel Schraer from BBC Reality Check.

Numbers and the tricks they play
video

Numbers and the tricks they play

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.

BBC iReporter: What would a journalist do? (Guidance for young people)
video

BBC iReporter: What would a journalist do? (Guidance for young people)

The BBC and Aardman, the people who make Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, have created an interactive game to give you the chance to find out what's it like to be a journalist.

Teachers guide to the BBC iReporter interactive game
document

Teachers guide to the BBC iReporter interactive game

This guide will allow you to further help students to explore and discuss the importance of checking sources, which sources to trust or not and the benefits and pitfalls of using social media to gather information.

Lesson 1: Real versus fake news
video

Lesson 1: Real versus fake news

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

Lesson 2: Sources and who to trust

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

Lesson 3: Social media, images and data

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.