#4 - A matter of facts
02 October 2020Winners Announced!
Thank you for all your brilliant questions! We will be picking 5 to ask to Angie Holan - watch out for her answers next week!
Two that certainly will be asked are by our two winners:
Our primary winner this week is impartial_shark of Boutcher Primary School. Their question showed great curiosity about the fact-checking process.
Our secondary winner is ingenious_forest of Faringdon Community College, which once again looked at fact-checking from an interesting angle and enquired if fact-checkers ever realise they were wrong in the face of new evidence!
We awarded stars to questions we thought were particularly original and thought-provoking.
We've just published our first expert of this issue: filmmaker Alicia Sams answering questions from Burnet News Club students.
But do not worry - there's still a chance for you to pose some questions of your own and win stars for your school!
You might have heard of the phrase "fake news". It means news which isn't true and it's a particular problem in an election because some people can spread fake news to make people vote a certain way. And politicians might say things that stretch the truth!
That's where "fact-checkers" come in! Fact-checking organisations check whether what people in the news and media say is true. This helps the public make better decisions about who to vote for.
One of our experts this half-term is Angela Drobnic Holan. Angela is in charge of Politifact - a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials. Angie and her team go through what people from the election campaigns say and check whether they are true, based on evidence.
What question would you like to ask someone who checks the truth in what people say on the news and why?
To enter this week's competition, add your question below and say why you want to ask it! We're looking for thoughtful, original questions and reasons that show why you are curious!
The deadline for entries is midday on Friday 2nd October. Good luck!
Comments (60)
Hi, I would like to ask the question, "How do you actually tell if someone is telling fake news. Do they have facial expressions, or do they sometimes do it, so they can earn money?" I would like to ask this question because nobody wants to be told a lie, if there is something really important going on, and I would find it really tricky to tell. Thank you. protective_dusk.
That’s a good point . Actually I want to know that too so if you find out please replay
Bye
I found this from google:
However, you need to be careful even here. People who spread fake news and "alternative facts" sometimes create web pages, newspaper mockups, or "doctored" images that look official, but aren't. So, if you see a suspicious post that looks like it's from CNN, for example, check CNN's homepage to verify that it's really there.
Please make sure you follow the instructions to be in with a chance of winning the competition!
Hello, My question is how do you know what facts are true or not? For e.g. Boris Jonsen has resigned as priminester to be a dancer how would you know of its true or not? I'm asking this so I can see what news is true or not. Thank you for listening! (articulate_consept)
Hello, I would like to ask how we can differentiate fake news from real news from unknown websites. It could be from a new newspaper, real or fake?
Hello, I would like to ask, How could you tell what is a fact or what is fake? I think it would be quite hard but it is clearly an important job because someone might want to vote for someone as a president but their information (e.g. their job in the past or their grades) was false. where as you could check the information to make sure it is true. perhaps I might get a job like that when I grow up!!! :)
Hi, I want to know why do you think fact or fake is important because I want to hear all about you opinion about fact or fake
i think it is important because people might belive something that is falseand it is important they know the truth.
ok thank you
Hi, my question is how much of the news on the radio is true because some of it could be true but it doesn't sound right?
Thanks
Committed_maths
Hello. I haven't posted for quite a while. May I ask, is it possible for fake news to somehow get past the fact checkers and spread? As there are many things that may or may not be true such as this; Trump paid someone to take his university entrance exams for him. How do we know if this is fake news or not. I would really like to know. Thank you.
That is actually a good question. I wanna know that too.
Hello my name is reflective_artic_fox and I would like to ask the question: what sort of news is spread around that is false? I would like to know this because many people are spreading fake news but what sort of things are they saying. For example, if they were claiming that Trump is boastful, they could display it as he advertising building a wall and saying bad things about everyone but himself. I would also like to ask: what do you do when you detect fake news. I asked this because I was wondering whether you edit it to be true, or do you simply remove it?
Thank you.
How are you able to tell fake news from real news (like is there any signs with their face, body movement .etc which will probably tell its fake) and which news sources are the most reliable?
Thank you for reading,
- Flowing_strategy
Hello I want to ask how do we know you are true and loyal? And you won’t keep the current news even if it’s fake for money? It’s strange how some editors change the news to fake news for money. I know it’s tempting for them but you have to do things truly right so that is my question.
Hello, I want to know is this about the fake news around the world because you asking how do we know your true and loyal just want to know
Bye
How do the fact-checkers separate the facts from the fake news given that there is so much information on social media i.e Facebook and Twitter? Also, I would like to know how long the fake news has been around because I'm only just hearing about it now?
Stay safe and blessed
delightful_effort
Hi, skillful_conclusion well me would like to ask a question about the fake news "Why do people do it for making people vote or do what they are?" I ask that because I'm curious why people are doing this because people can tell or not tell if it's fake news or not fake news. But I still understand why people are doing this to people that want to vote or any thing but they have to make sure they have permissions first or they are sensible with there actions. People or who ever is doing this they should think about it first because it might effect people it may or may not hurts them in side
If you have any thing to commment about and why I put this I'm sure to answer back
Bye Write Again Soon
Hi! If the news is fake but people believe it, how do you get the news round to everyone that they are victims of fake news? I feel that when people believe stuff they stick onto the belief for a while. Thanks.
Have there been cases of very charismatic people saying complete nonsense but everyone believes what they say?
Why do people say fake news? Is it for money? Is it for someone else or for themselves? Can they do it in a way of revenge?
how do you know what is fake and real because what if you thought it was real but it was fake and you do the thing what news said to do and then you did something really bad. Do you still get famous if you write fake news.What if someone made fake news and then a few days later someone told you it was fake news.
why do people vote in america if they are 35 or over why not 25 or over who do you think got the most votes and who didn't and why
i would like to ask how do you know what real news is and fake news is ? I would like to know as many people are spreding fake news .Whydo people make fake news?Who ever is making fake news needs to think about what there doing because they could make people scared or uncomtorble.People may be spreding fake news for mony or attention.
ill write again soon bye
Hi, my question is how can you tell if something is a fact or fake new? It must be a difficult job. For example how did you know that when the news said you have to wear masks how did you know it was true or how did you believe that shops were empty and there was no toilet role left.Lets bring it back to the America election people who are trying to be goverment how do you know they are'nt faking there grades and past.
I don't know why people spread fake news. Why do people spread fake news? What do they do it for? Do people do it for revenge because someone else has hurt there feelings? Why do people like to spread fake news? I don't like that people spread fake news because it can make somebody else look silly and it can hurt their feelings. How do people find out if something is fake or a fact? I have lots of questions about fake news and facts but this is my reasoning about fake news and facts.
is everything true on the internet ? because some people spread fake news.
how would you know if the facts are fake or real? why would people put fake news on the internet anyway?I am asking because it's interesting for me to know about real and fake news.
by free_strawberry
i whant to ask them how do you know if some body is lieing .Is there a special machine or something or di they ask the presdent
Hi,engaging_planet well me would like to know many things about fake news.First,why would people make fake news any way?People could believe in the fake news and could go and tell other people and then everyone will believe it and they will try to do things the fake news is saying to do they could end up in a bad position because of your actions.My second question is,what if fake news sounds real?What do we do then because we wont know if its fake or real if it sounds real and not fake...
Hope I found out soon I will find out about this in deeper depths.
How do you know that people are faking news or not because people could believe fake news and spread it to people that they know and then everybody will get confused about what is the real news and fake news?
I would ask the question:
Have you ever seen something on the news, and called it fake news, when it was real?
I am asking this as I once did a quiz about fake news, and i graded a story as fake when it was real.
What happens if you say something is fake news if it isn't?
I await your reply
ingenious_forest
What do you mean you if you have watched real or fake news
How would they know if its fake news or not? Because if they say that soembody said something thats fake buts its actually true then that would be bad.
this was very helpful because people kept on telling me fact news and i was very confused which was true so i just came here and this text really helped me so thank you
thank you for reading!!!
Decisive_redcurrant
This was very helpful i will try and avoid fake news and try and look on the BNC website for information on fake and real news
To be honest, I agree because how would you know if its fake news or not
i dont think you can tell if a story is fake news or not because you could just lie and say that it is true just to back someone up but also if its a really close friend that you trust then your most likely to belive them
focused_hurricane
how can you tell if a really close friend is telling a fake story?
Hi, my question is :
Is fake news legal, if not can you get a fine or go to jail for it and what is the most reliable source to get real news from.
Why would people start spreading fake news in the first place? hardworking_world
How would you know if news is fake or not? What if fake news passes checkers and gets onto the news paper or the television, what would happen then?
Hi there I want to know why do people make fake news apart from gaining money ? Maybe it’s because they don’t bother to make real news but what is the actual reason?
What news is not real and which is fake
Bye
Hello, I would like to ask the questions: How do you find this information about people? How do you do this legally without getting stoped by data protection?
Hi
What do you do when you find fake news,would you send it to the police, would you delete straightway or would inform the public about the fake news, would the person who did it be sent to the police , do you deal with it or is nothing done at all.
thank you
Compelling_mouse
I would like to ask where you base your information from like the internet, news reports etc.my reason for asking this question is: based on what I've read about fake news it could be anywhere on the internet and news papers. Also they could easily deceive you. So how could you trust anything the internet and news say? (not saying that everything fact checkers write on their website is false) so is there a chance that the news and tabloids could be spreading fake news just for clout?
thank you for reading my comment.
comfortable_chemistry
this was very helpful because why would people wanna spread fake news it will really effect people voting and might vote the wrong person which changes everything
this really changes everyone votes if it was an election because people could just say fake thing then it would go on to other people and before you know it people will change there mind which is called swing state power
Hi, I would like to ask, How do you find out if something is real or not? For example, if someone asks you about is something fake news how do you find out if it is real or not. So do you use websites or something else? I would like to know this because I think it would be really interesting to know your source on whether something is real news or fake news. :)
Thank you for reading!
upbeat_acorn
Hi,
I wanted to ask why fake news is legal because making someone think something else is bad, like for example, if one of the news reporters on BBC news says that coronavirus has slowed down and that you can hug people and people over 59 can hug as well, also that only 1 person died that day but actually 799 people died and loads of people would think that so they would break the rules and a lot of people would be in danger.
Hi there,
I would like to ask where you get your real news from. When you are scanning websites, how do you know yourself what is real news and what it fake! For example, if you went onto a website about Scott Morrison ( the Prime Minister of Australia) and it said that he had thrown an item at his brother for a silly reason, would you just assume that its fake new or do you have a website, person to go from? My other question would have to be: When there is a fact which is uploaded to an unpopular website what nobody would see, would you still fact check it? I would like to ask this question because if nobody sees it, it's not very likely somebody would read it and change their mind about voting for this person.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post,
Involved_Grapefruit
Hello, another question I would like to know is, How often does fake news get past fact checkers? Like, does it happen often or is it quite rare and does it depend on how much the experience the fact checker has. For example if someone said "BORRIS JOHNSON CRASHED INTO A POLICE CAR!!!" and it was fake news, if they sent it to a fact checker is there a possibility that it could slide past the fact checker and then it would spread?
Thank you for reading! :)
upbeat_acorn
Why do you think people give fake news stories? It annoys me because people might either get excited that something good is going to happen or scared that something bad is going to happen and it is not fair!
But how can I if somebody tell me somebody tell me something fake should i believe it
Hi, I fell like people who read about fake news doesn't know its fake news only if they research and look into it they would know its fake news.
Hi, I would like to ask, how can you tell when there is fake news and when you find it what is the first thing you do? Do you confront this person or keep on checking that it is fake to be sure. After you find it out how do you let people know that this is fake news? Is there key things that you can spot with fake news?
Thank you for reading,
hardworking_apple
What's the point of fake news. its stupid. Like its not even real news
No one should give fake news to anyone
If somebody was to spread fake news on the internet how long will it be until the checkers start to investigate?
What happens If someone posts fake news and no one finds out???
A very good question spectacular_beaver. Do you think it is better or worse to find out?
I think a bit of both because if no one finds out no one will know and if someone finds out it can be shut diwn
Hi Im poetic_passionfruit and i would ask the question, How do you know fake news when you see it? I mean some fake news can be quite easy to spot as it is very hard to believe that it is real but some such as Steven Gerrard signs for Arsenal, is more believable and many people would think that this is true but again this isn't a very good example because this is something that more people would be interested in and more people wouldn't believe. Its not also like everything that you hear or read you are going to look up.
Thank you for reading and I hope that my question does get answered.
Really great question poetic_passionfruit and an important one too. Sometimes it is more difficult to spot fake news, which is why it is important to look at the news in lots of different places. If a story is told in lots of different places, like in a newspaper and on the television then it is more likely to be true. Do you think that some places that we find the news might be more reliable than others too?
Hi. I want to ask this question why do people make fake news about the world because its not fare on the people that are telling real news that's because there working really hard to tell all the people in the world and they might feel bad for the people that there believing the news that is fake because people that tell the fake new are trying to make the world to believe them and people may not realize its, fake or if its real because the people that are telling fake news are trying to make it sound like its real but its not.
If you have any things you want to ask me ether my opinion or something else.
That's it for now Bye.
Eager_reflection here.
I would like to ask the question: What happens if a famous person posts fake news and somebody finds it out? How would it influence other people? Also, what if someone posts fake news about something very serious and no one finds out?
Thank you for reading.
My question is “Is all fake news bad for an election?” This is my question because some people tell lies to protect them or they tell lies to hide something, but if someone told fake news to persuade someone to choose a different person at the election then it’s just a lie to push someone in the direction that they want. It can help one side of the election and take down the other side. I know lying is wrong but sometimes someone uses it for the greater good.
Do people put fake news on the internet because they want money?
Do you have any tips for identifying fake news as average people, like just as someone is talking or something like that? Because you wouldn't be able to put what everyone says on your website?
Thaks- hardworking_introduction.
with so much fake news around how can we trust you and believe in the evidence you bring forward and not think that you are like any other news outlets there biased and not giving us pure facts. I want to ask this question because I still want to believe that there are news outlets there who are still objective and professional and who are driven only by their desire to find the truth. I am asking also because ,as a person who is interested only in finding the truth, i want my opinion on something to be based on facts and not on some twisted information