Devoir d'anglais sur les fake news

Real or fake ?

Fake news is information created to deceive readers. They are mainly published on social media to manipulate as many people as possible. Fake news is frequently retweeted because people find it distracting or shocking, but also because it sometimes supports their own vision of the world.

Some artists then decide to use their art to educate the public. For example, the Guardian News published a portrait of Mark Zuckerberg that is a bit unusual. He is shown in a James Bond pose, holding the Facebook symbol like a gun. His face is pixelated as a reminder that his world is virtual, as his power is based on the data of the millions of users who use Facebook. The red background reminds us of the dangers of Facebook, as it holds a lot of information that it could use against us.

Nate Beeler's cartoon alerts people about the dangers of fake news. He shows two people on their phones, near a newsstand with a sensational title. The woman on the right has difficulties to differentiate between true and false while the man on the left can, but he would like the government to regulate information on the web.

It is important to know that fake news is affecting us more and more. According to scientific research, fake news spreads 6 times faster than real news and most fake news on Twitter is retweeted.

Today, 80% of school children are unable to differentiate between publicity and real information. Moreover, three out of four students cannot distinguish between "fake news" and "real news" on Facebook. That's why we teach how to protect ourselves from fake news and propaganda. Here are some examples of tips to follow: check the URL, the date, the author, the sources and the credibility of the site.

This poses a real danger for democracy, especially during elections, as voters are influenced. However, it is not as simple as that to control the information on the web, as this could result to censorship which could result in a dictatorship. Many people denounce this.

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