Article of the Day

Questions for: ‘How the Internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth’

CreditDoug Chayka

Article: How the internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth

Before Reading

Have you ever been tricked by fake news on the internet? What happened?

The article you’re about to read contends that “the internet is distorting our collective grasp on the truth.” Do you agree? Why or why not?

Questions for Comprehension and Analysis

1. This writer says that online news has not been a “boon for democracy.” What are some examples he gives from earlier elections to show this?

2. What does he say is root of the problem with news online? Why does it cause trouble?

3. How and why, according to some, are we “gorging” on information that confirms our ideas, and “shunning” what does not? Do you recognize yourself in this description?

4. Why don’t we tend to believe documentary evidence of what we see? What examples does this writer give from the current election to show how we filter it through our own biases?

5. Why are fact-checking sites “largely ineffective against a tide of fakery”?

What Do You Think?

Now that you’ve read this piece, go through one of your social media feeds and analyze what you find there. How much do you live in a “filter bubble” of people with the same general opinions? Did you come across any stories or links that raised questions of veracity for you for any reason? How could you check them out?

Note: If you are a teacher doing this with an entire class, you might do as we suggest in this lesson plan, Fake News vs. Real News: Determining the Reliability of Sources, and create a full classroom gallery walk of news items that highlight some of the issues raised in this article.