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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

FAKE
NEWS
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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. How would you define ‘fake news’?

2. Have you read fake news stories? If so, what topics were they about?
3. What do you think you can do to guard against fake news?

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2 Finding vocabulary

Find vocabulary in the article on page three that has the same meaning as the following definitions.

1. being difficult to understand or to deal with (para. A)

2. making you believe that something is true by not giving the correct
information (para. B)
3. grabbing interesting by making stories sound more dramatic than they
actually are (para. B)
4. give information about something that is incorrect so that people have the
wrong impression of it (para. B)
5. able to be trusted or believed (para. C)

6. a form of humour which criticises a person or institution by making fun of

their faults (para. C)
7. an incomplete argument or piece of information about something which does
not present all sides (para. D)
8. saying positive things about someone or their abilities (para. D)

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3 Reading for gist

Skim-read the article on page three and choose the best word A - C to fill the gaps 1 - 12.

Truth and lies

The issue of fake news

A. Where people used to tune in to the 6 o’clock news or pick up the morning paper on the way to
work, the rise of the internet means that they can now access multiple sources for their news.
1
Although this is not necessarily bad as we now have access to information, it
does open the door for something deeply problematic: fake news.
2
B. It broadly takes two forms: news which is false and that which is only partly
true. The first category can be used to spread misleading information about a politician or event,
creating negative opinions in the minds of readers that they will often find hard to change.
Sensational stories can also be used to drive traffic to a website or a blog. The second can be
3
more as readers, seeing that there is truth in the story, will be more likely to
4
believe the lies. These can be to deliberately misrepresent a person or event,
but can also be the result of poor journalism or a lack of fact-checking on the part of the author.

C. The term ‘fake news’ however, has also been misused by public figures making it even more
5
. News stories that are true, but that present them in a negative light have been
labelled by lying politicians as a way to dismiss them and make them seem less credible. Fake
news is not articles about topics that you don’t think are important, don’t agree with or situations
6
that you already know about. There are also articles written to make of famous
people or political affairs which are often presented as serious news. This is called satire and has
been around for a very long time. Not everyone understands that the aim of these articles are
7
comedy and take them . However, this doesn’t mean that they are fake news.
8
D. There’s also the challenge of bias. Most news organisations have a viewpoint which
affects how they present the news and will be very supportive of some politicians while regularly
criticising others. This is also true of each one of us depending on our culture, our interests and
our religion or lack of it. You only need to think of how you would talk about a football match
9
where your favourite team won, to how you’d represent a game that they lost
to know that the language you would use would be very different.

E. Fake news has a terrible effect on society as it can mean that what a large number of people
10
believe is false. This can change how they react to each other and how they
11
behave. The issue with these lies is they can be very to believe as they often
support what we want to think. It is said that ‘a lie can travel halfway around the world before the
truth puts on its shoes,’ which illustrates the problem that fake news presents. It is often reported
12
that this written by the American author, Mark Twain. There is, however, no
evidence for this, further showing the truth of the quote.

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A1 . a. widely b. wide c. wider

B2 . a. complete b. incomplete c. completely
3
B . a. danger b. dangerous c. dangerously
4
B . a. writing b. writes c. written
5
C . a. complicating b. complicated c. complicates
6
C . a. fun b. happy c. joy
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C . a. serious b. seriousness c. seriously
D8 . a. politician b. politics c. political
D9 . a. comparison b. compared c. compares
10
E . a. simple b. simply c. simplify
11
E . a. comfortably b. comfort c. comfortable
12
E . a. were b. be c. was

Sources: bbc.co.uk, skillsyouneed.com, weforum.org

4 Reading comprehension

Complete the following sentences with one or two words from the article on page three.

1. There are now to satisfy our appetite for news due to the internet’s
unprecedented ability to spread information.

2. Stories containing information can be more damaging than those

which are entirely false as they are more likely to be accepted.

3. Poor by journalists can result in fake news which is unintentional,

but the result is the same.

4. have hijacked the term ‘fake news’ using it to discredit true stories
which they don’t like.

5. Just because a news story isn’t something you , does not automatically
mean that it is fake news.

6. While there is that Mark Twain was responsible for the quote, ‘a
lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth puts on its shoes,’ many people believe it
to be true, usefully proving its point.

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5 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the following vocabulary to the correct definitions.

1. critical thinking (n) a. being doubtful about the truth of some information

2. sceptical (adj.) b. unaffected by something, particularly when it can harm

other people
3. immune (adj.) c. operating within the law

4. dupe (v) d. creating very strong negative feelings and emotions

5. gullible (adj.) e. make someone believe something which is false, usually to

get something from them
6. inflammatory (adj.) f. the analysis of information to decide to what extent it is
reliable and true
7. conspiracy theory (n) g. easily deceived into believing something

8. legitimate (adj.) h. the belief that a secret organisation is responsible for an

event

Part B: Complete the following sentences with the vocabulary from Part A. You may need to change
the form of the word to fit the sentence.

1. The actor was previously strongly condemned for making and racist
comments which resulted in him being dropped by his management.

2. I have a strong belief in my writing, but I’m not to criticism and I

find it hurtful when people write negative comments about it on social media.

3. I was listening to a podcast the other day which was discussing the
that the September 11th attacks were faked by the government. It amazes me how anyone can
believe that.

4. Everyone in my family uses a credit card, but I’m very about them.
I think they’re designed to get you into debt.

5. When I first read the email, I thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be completely
and I had genuinely won £50,000.

6. You only need to use the smallest amount of to know that everything
Andrew Tate says is utter garbage. He says anything to chase fame.

7. My grandmother was into giving away a large percentage of her

savings in a scam, and now she’s worried that she will have enough to live on.

8. I told him that the word had been taken out of the dictionary and
he actually went to look it up! I’ve never laughed so hard.

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6 Listening for gist

Listen to the interview with Dr Neil Richardson and decide which of the following questions are asked.

1. What is it that makes people share fake news?

2. What is the reason people create fake news?

3. What can we do to check that the information on a blog is true?

4. What else should we do before sharing a story?

5. Has anyone been prosecuted for the creation of fake news?

6. What consequences has fake news had in the real world?

7. What do we do about fake news?

8. How can we fact-check information given on a podcast?

7 Listening comprehension

Listen again and decide which of the options A - C reflects what is said in the interview.

1. What does Dr Richardson think about blogs?

a. They’re generally less reliable as a source of information than news outlets and should always
be treated with scepticism.
b. They frequently provide exclusive stories that can’t be found anywhere else as they can move
faster than news channels.
c. The information they contain should be balanced against other sources reporting on the same
event.

2. According to Dr Richardson, blogs written by professionals within the industry they’re reporting
on...
a. still need to be treated carefully as they can include bias and have a particular slant.

b. are ideal sources of information as they can deal with topics that official sources can’t discuss.

c. are generally written for profit and therefore should be avoided as sources of information.

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3. What action does Dr Richardson suggest ahead of posting a news story on social media?

a. Seeing if anyone else has posted the same story and what the reaction to it was.

b. Ensuring that the story isn’t out of date and looking at the origins of the story, including
checking the relevance of links.
c. Considering the relevance of the story to the audience you’re posting it to, as it may not be
necessary.

4. What is the issue with satire?

a. Many people have looked stupid after posting satirical news thinking it was real.

b. It’s not a form of humour that a lot of people understand and it can confuse your followers.

c. In its attempt to make fun of the news, it can often contain language that is upsetting to a lot
of people.

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for people posting fake news stories on
social media?
a. Being part of the Baby Boomer generation who frequently aren’t as aware of how to
effectively use social media.
b. Being driven by an emotional reaction to a headline prompts users to share before stopping
to question its integrity.
c. Wanting to break the news of a fascinating story first to people within their social media
circle.

6. How did fake news lead to a shooting in the United States?

a. Staff at the restaurant believed that a customer was a dangerous criminal.

b. A customer believed that he was saving children from dangerous criminals.

c. Child customers thought the pizza they were given contained poison.

7. How does Dr Richardson say fake news has affected politics?

a. Political leaders have actively been sharing fake news about their opponents.

b. There has been an increase in the amount of disinformation shared about politicians.

c. There has been a reduction in the amount of public trust in professional institutions.

8. Why does Dr Richardson mention Snopes.com?

a. It’s a well-known source of fake news.

b. It’s a useful source when checking facts.

c. It’s biased against conservatives.

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8 Talking point

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What effect has fake news had in your country?

2. What would you do if you saw a friend had shared fake news on social media?
3. Before sharing a news story with family and friends, what action do you usually take?
4. Do you read news stories that friends post on social media? Why/Why not?
5. Where do you usually get your news from? Why?

9 Extended activity: Real or satire?

Read the following headlines. In pairs or a group discuss if you think the headlines are from a real
story or a satirical one.

1. Cows lose their jobs as milk price drops

2. Miracle cure kills fifth patient

3. Doctors successfully transplant entire living pig into patient

4. Elon Musk announces successful trial of Neuralink brain detonator

5. Amphibious pitcher makes debut

6. England has no idea what to do if it wins World Cup

7. Breathing oxygen linked to staying alive

8. Federal agents raid gun shop, find weapons

9. World death rate holding steady at 100%

10. Murderer says detective ruined his reputation

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Transcripts

6. Listening for gist

Host: Good morning, listeners! Today on the show, I’m very pleased to welcome Dr. Neil
Richardson, head of the Media Studies department at Churchill University and author
of the new book ‘What are we supposed to believe?’ Dr. Richardson, welcome to
the show.

Dr Richardson: Very pleased to be here.

Host: Now, I’ve read your book and thought it was great. But what I really want to ask you
is what do we do about fake news?

Dr Richardson: Well, that’s a very good question. The answer really lies in what we all should be
doing with any information we read and that’s applying critical thinking. Firstly, you
have to look at the source of the information. Almost anyone can start a blog or
set up a website and write almost anything they want to. That’s not to say that
blogs don’t provide valuable information, quite the opposite. But if it’s something
that’s only reported by one blog rather than a newspaper, then you need to be very
sceptical.

Host: What can we do to check that information on a blog is true?

Dr Richardson: Have a look at who the author of the blog or the piece is. Some blogs are set
up by well-known journalists or academics. There will nearly always be an ‘about’
section on the blog so look at that and also put their name in a search engine to
find out more about them. You do need to keep in mind that the fact that they’re
a professional, doesn’t mean that they’re immune to bias and they may still have an
agenda. This last point applies to the story too, see if you can find something about
the information from another place. A genuine story very rarely breaks without
several people reporting on it.

Host: What else should we do before sharing a story?

Dr Richardson: You can make a point of checking a few things, such as the date. There’s so much
content on the internet that it’s very easy to be duped into thinking something has
just happened when it’s actually an old story. You should also be able to see where
the sources of information came from. If there are links, click on them to find out if
what they are saying actually supports the story. The other thing to watch out for
is satire. A lot of people instantly understand when something is written as a joke,
but many don’t. There are lots of examples of people who have looked gullible after
publicly expressing shock or anger at a satirical story.

Host: What is it that makes people share fake news?

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Dr Richardson: It can be a variety of things. People like to be the first person in their social media
circle to share something interesting. Others like to support their own ideas with
stories which they think prove they are correct. Newspaper stories often have
inflammatory headlines designed to attract interest and we’re very used to having an
instant reaction to something we see. At the same time, many of us feel powerless
to do anything about the society we live in. One thing we can do is share on social
media and give our opinion about it as a way of letting off steam. So a lot of people
see fake news and post without pausing to question whether it’s true or not.

Host: What consequences has fake news had in the real world?

Dr Richardson: Well, in the US there was a shooting in a pizza restaurant because the gunman
believed they were harming children due to a series of political fake news stories
supporting a conspiracy theory. They’ve almost certainly affected the political
process in countries like the US, not only by spreading false information but by
reducing the level of trust in leaders and legitimate sources of information. As I
say in my book, it leaves people with the sense that they are being lied to more than
they actually are. It’s much easier to believe nothing than to carefully consider what
you do believe. The advice I gave about deciding if a news story is fake or not, is
that takes time which most people don’t have. So it makes everyone less trusting
of society and of each other which is really the worst thing about it. A final thing I
will say is that there are some very good fact-checking sites such as Snopes.com and
Politifact.com. They look in detail at news stories that have gone around the internet
and will clearly say to what degree they are true or false. So a quick check on those
sites will often save you hours of time and help you to understand the situation more
clearly.

Host: Thank you so much for coming to talk to us today. After the break, we’re going to
look at some examples of fake news that had people fooled and look at where those
stories came... (fade)

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
This task introduces the topic and covers some of the questions which are dealt with during the lesson. Ask the
students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. You may want to bring the discussion back to the class
and work on a group definition of ‘fake news’ which you can come back to later in the class after the reading and
listening tasks.

2. Finding vocabulary

5 mins. This task highlights some of the higher-level vocabulary in the article and aids students’ comprehension.

1. problematic (adj.) 2. misleading (adj.) 3. sensational (adj.) 4. misrepresent (v)

5. credible (adj.) 6. satire (n) 7. bias (n) 8. supportive (adj.)

3. Reading for gist

5 mins.
Ask the students to skim and scan to decide which are the best words to fit each gap in the article.

1. wider 2. completely 3. dangerous 4. written 5. complicated 6. fun

7. seriously 8. political 9. compared 10. simply 11. comfortable 12. was
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/beyondfakenews/howyoucanfightfakenews
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/fake-news.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38906931
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/fake-news-what-it-is-and-how-to-spot-it/

4. Reading comprehension

10 mins.
Ask students to find one or two consecutive words in the article to complete the sentences so they are grammatically
correct.

1. multiple sources 2. partly true 3. fact-checking 4. Lying politicians

5. agree with 6. no evidence

5. Focus on vocabulary

5 mins.
This task focuses on some of the higher-level vocabulary used in the listening task. Ask the students to complete
the task unaided in the first instance, but allow them to use a reference later if needed. Be sure they can correctly
pronounce the target language.
Part A:

1. → f. 2. → a. 3. → b. 4. → e.

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5. → g. 6. → d. 7. → h. 8. → c.
5 mins.
This task puts the vocabulary in context. Be sure that students are aware of different forms of the words and that
they may need to use them to fit the sentence.
Part B:

1. inflammatory 2. immune 3. conspiracy theory 4. sceptical

5. legitimate 6. critical thinking 7. duped 8. gullible

6. Listening for gist

5 mins.
This gives the students the opportunity to listen to the interview for the first time and get a general idea of what
the conversation is about.
Questions asked:

1. ✓ What is it that makes people share fake news? 3. ✓ What can we do to check that the information on
a blog is true?
4. ✓ What else should we do before sharing a story? 6. ✓ What consequences has fake news had in the real
world?
7. ✓ What do we do about fake news?

7. Listening comprehension

10 mins.
Ask the students to read the questions and answer them after the first listening, then allow them to listen again
to check their answers.

1. c. 2. a. 3. c. 4. a. 5. a. 6. b. 7. c. 8. b.

8. Talking point

10 mins.
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Circulate and help as needed.

9. Extended activity: Real or satire?

15 mins+
Put the students in teams and ask them to decide if the headlines are real or satirical. You can do it as a team
game and give points, or just use it as a point of discussion.
Source of real headlines: 25 Funny Newspaper Headlines to Crack You Up — Best Life (bestlifeonline.com)
Satirical headlines are from The Onion and The Daily Mash

1. Real
2. Real
3. Satire
4. Satire
5. Real (it an unchecked autocorrect from ‘ambidextrous’)
6. Satire

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7. Real
8. Real
9. Satire
10. Real

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