There has been a lot of talk lately about “fake news.” Fake news was particularly prevalent during the 2016 Presidential election campaign and does not seem to be slowing down. A new Anti-Defamation League lesson, entitled “Fake News and What We Can Do about It,” provides an opportunity for students to learn what fake news is, differentiate it from other types of news (including satirical, misleading and tabloid news), develop strategies for spotting fake news and consider what can be done about the proliferation of fake news.

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 62% of Americans get their news from social media sites and 44% get their news specifically from Facebook. In addition, a recent study from Stanford University revealed that many teens have difficulty analyzing the news; 82% of middle school students surveyed could not tell the difference between an ad labeled “sponsored content” and a legitimate news story. In addition to the lesson plan described above, a new Table Talk for family discussions called “What is Fake News?”  provides resources for parents to address the subject at home with their children.