Fact vs Fiction: Online Research!28.04.2024

The internet is a goldmine of information! However, not everything we find online is credible – you could stumble upon fake news, doctored images, advertisements, biases, opinionated posts, or even lies.

Sometimes the inaccurate information we see is obvious, such as a photo of an elephant in a spaceship or a joke-fuelled article about how the sun is purple. Other times it is much more difficult to tell the difference between what is factually correct and what is not.

Work with your children and discuss how they can identify false or biased information, and the value of credible or multiple sources; this helps them develop critical thinking skills and have a more accurate view of the world.

Here are a few options to broach this topic at home:

Edited photographs:

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You can start by looking through funny and overly edited content like these funny animal photos

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Afterwards you could have a look at some real images which some might think are fake like bioluminescence, salt flats, or rainbow eucalyptus trees

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Lastly, run a quick google search for advertisements or flip through a magazine and ask your child to think about which images might have been edited and why.

Non-Factual Information:

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Select a few sources of information:

  • It can be advertisements, opinionated posts on social media about current events, or sponsored articles.

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Look over each piece and think about the below questions:

  • What is the source of this information/who owns it?
  • Who is the target audience of this piece?
  • Is the story paid for or sponsored by an organization or individual? Who benefits if you click or read this?
  • Is there anything left out? Does the information tell a full story or just one side?

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Each of these questions can help to determine if the information is factual.

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Discuss the importance of cross-referencing with multiple sources, and that if you can only find the information in one place, it is more likely to be falsified.

What to do with False News received from your friends:

Have your children follow the below steps if they encounter inaccurate information posted or shared by someone they know:

  • Do not share it – only share truthful information
  • Politely let the person who has posted the information know that it is inaccurate
  • Ask the person who has posted false information to remove it in order to stop the spread of misinformation.

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