Fake News: Resources

"Considering the fresh attention being paid to teaching a skeptical approach to information evaluation, this series opener couldn't be better timed. A brief but savvy guide to responsible research methods adds further luster to this crowd pleaser." --ALA Booklist (starred review) Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true--and asks readers to separate facts from fakes! Did you know that there is a fungus that can control the mind of an ant and make it do its bidding? Would you believe there is such a thing as a corpse flower--a ten-foot-tall plant with a blossom that smells like a zombie? How about a species of octopus that doesn't live in water but rather lurks in trees in the Pacific Northwest? Every story in this book is strange and astounding. But not all of them are real. Just like the old game in this book's title, two out of every three stories are completely true and one is an outright lie. Can you guess which? It's not going to be easy. Some false stories are based on truth, and some of the true stories are just plain unbelievable. And they're all accompanied by dozens of photos, maps, and illustrations. Amaze yourself and trick your friends as you sort out the fakes from the facts! Acclaimed authors Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson have teamed up to create a series of sneaky stories about the natural world designed to amaze, disgust, and occasionally bamboozle you.

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION | 2018 NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts. Do you believe everything you read in the newspaper?Early in August 1937, a news flash came: a sea monster had been spotted lurking off the shore of Nantucket Island. Historically, the Massachusetts island had served as port for whaling ships. Eyewitnesses swore this wasn't a whale, but some new, fearsome creature. As eyewitness account piled up, newspaper stories of the sea monster spread quickly. Across the nation, people shivered in fear.Then, footprints were found on a Nantucket beach. Photographs were sent to prominent biologists for their opinion. Discussion swirled about raising a hunting party. On August 18, news spread across the island: the sea monster had been captured. Islanders ran to the beach and couldn't believe their eyes. This nonfiction picture book is a perfect tool to discuss non-political fake news stories. Back matter discusses the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Quotes from Thomas Jefferson make it clear that fake news has always been one of the costs of a free press. A Timeline lists actual events in the order they occurred. A vocabulary list defines relevant words.

Can you detect a hoax from the real deal? See right through photo trickery? Spot the phony logic in a story in seconds? Put your sleuthing skills to work in this fun book! See if you can find the truth behind bizarre stories, faulty facts, iffy lists, news headlines, and more. Does the world's largest mushroom (a humongous fungus!) really cover a space the size of 1,665 football fields? Did people really once pay a "knocker-up" to bang on their window each morning as an early version of the alarm clock? Check the Fib-o-Meter to find out! Complete with incredible photos and quirky collage art, this is another Nat Geo Kids book you have to read to believe...or disbelieve!

A 2019 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * A Booklist Editors' Choice * A Washington Post Best Children's Book * A BCCB Blue Ribbon * A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books In this nonfiction title for young readers, acclaimed author Gail Jarrow explores in riveting detail the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938, highlighting the artists behind the broadcast, the broadcast itself, the aftermath, and the repercussions of "fake news" today. On the night of October 30, 1938, thousands of Americans panicked when they believed that Martians had invaded Earth. What appeared to be breaking news about an alien invasion was in fact a radio drama based on H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds, performed by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players. Some listeners became angry once they realized they had been tricked, and the reaction to the broadcast sparked a national discussion about fake news, propaganda, and the role of radio. In this compelling nonfiction chapter book, Gail Jarrow explores the production of the broadcast, the aftermath, and the concept of fake news in the media.

When a 10-foot tall purported "petrified man" is unearthed from a backyard in upstate New York in 1869, the discovery immediately turns into a spectacle of epic proportions. News of the giant spreads like wildfire, and well over a thousand people come to view him in the first five days alone! Everyone has their own idea of his true origin: Is he an ancient member of the local Onandaga Indian tribe? Is he a biblical giant like Goliath? Soon the interests of world-renowned scientists and people from around the globe are piqued as arguments flare over who he is, where he came from, and if he is real--or just a hoax. In a riveting account of how the Cardiff Giant mystery snowballed into one of America's biggest money-making spectacles--and scams--Jim Murphy masterfully explores the power of 19th-century media and the unexpected ripple effect that a single corrupt mastermind can produce when given a stage.

Fake news is a term that is used and often misused by politicians, in the news, and on social media. What does it really mean? Readers discover the answer to this question as they explore the realities of false news stories, misinformation, and bias. Through unbiased main text, detailed graphic organizers, full-color photographs, and helpful fact boxes, readers expand their understanding of this timely topic and engage their critical-thinking skills in the process. They also learn how they can become smarter media consumers, which is an essential life skill in today's world.

"In this book, readers will learn the differences between facts and opinions. Carefully-leveled text and vibrant, full-color photographs help readers understand that informed citizenship relies on the critical and responsible usage of media and information. Features reading tips for teachers and parents, table of contents, Take Action! activity, questions to encourage deeper inquiry, glossary, and index"--

The true story of British cousins who fooled the world for more than 60 years with a remarkable hoax, photographs of "real" fairies. Exquisitely illustrated with art by Eliza Wheeler as well as the original photos taken by the girls. In 1917, in Cottingley, England, a girl named Elsie took a picture of her younger cousin, Frances. Also in the photo was a group of fairies, fairies that the girls insisted were real. Through a remarkable set of circumstances, that photograph and the ones that followed came to be widely believed as evidence of real fairies. It was not until 1983 that the girls, then late in life, confessed that the Cottingley Fairies were a hoax. Their take is an extraordinary slice of history, from a time when anything in a photograph was assumed to be fact and it was possible to trick an eager public into believing something magical. Exquisitely illustrated with art and the original fairy photographs.

The enchanting true story of a girl who saw fairies, and another with a gift for art, who concocted a story to stay out of trouble and ended up fooling the world. Frances was nine when she first saw the fairies. They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, so her cousin Elsie painted paper fairies and took photographs of them "dancing" around Frances to make the grown-ups stop teasing. The girls promised each other they would never, ever tell that the photos weren't real. But how were Frances and Elsie supposed to know that their photographs would fall into the hands of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? And who would have dreamed that the man who created the famous detective Sherlock Holmes believed ardently in fairies -- and wanted very much to see one? Mary Losure presents this enthralling true story as a fanciful narrative featuring the original Cottingley fairy photos and previously unpublished drawings and images from the family's archives. A delight for everyone with a fondness for fairies, and for anyone who has ever started something that spun out of control. Back matter includes source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

It was an ordinary night in October of 1938 until a news bulletin interrupted the dance music onCBSradio–aliens were invading the United States! Meghan McCarthy’s hilariousAliens Are Coming!tells the true story of the Halloween radio prank that duped much of the country into believing that Martians had invaded. The book uses excerpts from the actualWar of the Worldsradio broadcast and includes information about the importance of radios in the 1930s (before the time of televisions and computers) as well as facts about Orson Welles and H. G. Wells, author of the novel on which the broadcast was based.

It is more and more apparent that it is hard to tell the difference between real and fake news. If teachers flunk tests about it, how can they teach their students to understand what's what? Fake and real news items are thrown at us daily, on tv, on the internet, on the streets of our cities; everywhere we look and even when we don't think we're looking. Easy-to-understand text, simple infographics, quizzes, and lots of examples helps kids learn how to crack the code of real vs. fake news.

New Telescope Sees All! Amazing Secrets to Be Revealed! So the headlines read in the New York Sun one day in the summer of 1835. for a week straight, the newspaper printed stories and pictures of the discoveries made using a new telescope in far-off Africa. and on the streets of New York City, hundreds of newsboys shouted the headlines at the top of their lungs: Heavens Filled with Buffalo! Moon Beavers! Man Bats! We Are Not Alone! Every day, newsboys Jake and Charlie sold their stacks of newspapers quickly. the good business paid off for them - they could even afford a room at a boarding house. As they jingled the coins in their pockets, they wondered about what they were reading. Would the man bats fly to Earth? Would a moon ship carry treasure hunters into the sky? and would their good fortune last?