The news can be scary or confusing even for grown ups at times. That’s why it can be good to give your child a bit of support as they start to read or watch news stories themselves. You can share these tools with them to help them know when a piece of news is fake or misleading.
The tips below come from our NewsWise Navigator, which you can also download here to use at home.
Spotting fake news
Sometimes a news story might look ordinary, but it’s actually made up and not true. This is called fake news. A news story might be fake if:
- You’ve never heard of the organisation who published it
- If it’s not shared by other news organisations you’ve heard of
- If the website or page design looks unusual
- There are lots of spelling mistakes
- It doesn’t seem to quote any real people or organisations
- It sounds casual and informal
- The picture doesn’t match the story
Spotting biased news
Even if a news story is true, it might be biased. That means it’s trying to make the reader believe a specific take on events, rather than letting them make up their own mind. A news story might be biased if:
- It only shows one side of the story
- It’s trying to make you do or believe something
- The headline is misleading
- It only uses positive language or negative language to describe people and things
- It includes the reporter’s opinions and feelings, rather than just the facts
Finding out the facts
Just because a piece of news sounds confident, that doesn’t mean it’s true. A good news story should tell you the facts. It’s not being factual if it:
- Includes the reporter’s thoughts, feelings or opinions
- The facts aren’t supported by quotes, statistics or data
- If it’s just guessing at something or sharing a rumour
If you want to help your child get used to knowing what’s on the news, take a look at this list of child friendly news websites to help them get started.