News is when people talk about current events (things that are happening right now). News can be given in newspapers, television, magazines, or radio. There are several news channels on cable television that give news all day long, such as CNN and Fox News. There are several news magazines, such as Time, The Atlantic, and Newsweek. Together, these are all called the media.

Media may refer to:

•  Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data

•  Advertising media

•  Broadcast media

•  Digital media

•  Electronic media

•  Hypermedia

•  Print media

•  Published media

Mass media can mean television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the internet

News media, mass media focused on communicating news

Journalists, the people who write for and work in news media

Multimedia, communications that include multiple forms of information

Media (computer), used in computer data storage devices

Media (arts), materials and techniques used by an artist to produce a work

Fake News

Almost everyone has heard this term. You may have heard adults in your world using it. But what is fake news really?

Fake news is news that is totally made up. It’s not news that you disagree with. Just because you don’t like it or disagree with it, does not make it fake.

How do you know the difference?

Here are the things that you should look out for when you see a piece of news, especially online:

Story – what is it trying to say? Be a detective and see if you can find the same story somewhere else. Is it told in the same way?

Emotions – how does the story make you feel? Fake news tries to make people feel a certain way. Beware of the “woah” feeling and stop before sharing. It might even be a joke!

Picture – is it fake or out of context? (This means it has been taken from its original true setting and added to a fake setting.) Check with a reverse image search to find where it’s from originally. It is very easy to change a picture these days so you need to try and find out if it is real.

Author – what’s the URL? Check the address bar at the top – most trusted URLs end with “.com”, “.co.uk”, “.net”, “.gov”, “.org”, “.mil” and “.edu”.

If it doesn’t, it might be fake. Are there any experts named or quoted?

Shares – even if it’s shared by a friend or famous person, it doesn’t mean it’s correct.

You decide

Just because your friends, adults, or even famous people think something, it doesn’t mean it is true or that you have to agree. Think for yourself. Just because you have read it in print, heard it on the radio, seen it on TV or social media doesn’t mean it is true. Think for yourself.

Do your own detective work to make sure it is not fake. Ask lots of questions. You can ask teachers, librarians, adults. Then think about their answers. Now you are ready to decide what you think. This is called critical thinking and it is very important.

Media is important

A free press (a term for media) is very important to a free country. It is protected under the first amendment which grants us all the right to free speech. This means the government can’t stop or punish us for saying what we think.

The media is important for many reasons. One reason is to make sure everyone knows what is going on in their government. Reporters go to town, county and state meetings and then write about what happened. This way everyone who didn’t go to those meeting will understand what is being said and done. This keeps government from being secretive.

That is why there a laws called Freedom of Information or “sunshine” laws. These laws apply to everyone. In other words, anyone can get information … even you!

This week is Sunshine Week and the media is celebrating the Freedom of Information Act which guarantees that we all can get whatever information we need from our government. While there are some exceptions to this law, for the most part it covers all the goings on in government.

Why do you think it is called the “Sunshine Law”?

Kiddle Encyclopedia; BBC Bitesize