Day 3's class will focus on discussing where fake news comes from, who produces it, and why. The document outlines the day's activities, which include discussing motivations for creating fake news, how it spreads, and impediments to its spread. Students will also discuss the consequences of fake news and potential solutions. They are expected to participate in class discussions, read for Wednesday, and post to an online discussion by Tuesday at 6 PM in preparation.

1. Day 3
EWRT 2
WHERE DOES FAKE NEWS COME FROM? WHO IS WRITING IT? WHY?

2. Checking in
-Have the book?
-NYT subscription to “Evening Briefing”?
-Practice question for Wednesday’s “Evening Briefing” quiz:
◦ President Trump signed a law that allows individual US states to cut off funding for what (primarily)
women’s health provider? Why?
-Did Amanda go over the Integrated Project with you? By next week, you and I need to have
conversation about a topic for your project.
◦ each have a different topic, so you’ll need to claim yours.
◦ should be something that relates to a current event or news story.
◦ prohibited: anything about weed or raves.

3. What discussion looks like today:
-I will give up to 2 discussion points for talking in class today. That means saying 2 things out
loud. This could mean asking a question or answering a question.
-Talking in small groups does not count—it has to be in full-class discussion.
-It doesn’t have to be “right” or “brilliant.” It just needs to be a contribution.
-If you say more than that, it won’t “count,” but please don’t let it stop you.
-I will go out of my way to make sure that new voices get to speak.
-At the end of class, you should turn in a sheet with a brief list of the two best things you said in
class.

4. Values
We talked on Day 1 about the values that we must share in this classroom:
◦ Acceptance that there are social processes to establish facts and truth.
◦ Belief that every person in this room is a full member of this community.
But we all have lots of personal values that guide our conduct and that affect how we
experience the world. So I asked you to come up with lists of your own.
Groups:
◦ share your lists with each other.
◦ make sure your lists have abstract ideas or principles of behavior, not concrete objects or people.
◦ talk about examples that show that you live your values (or sometimes fail). Make the values less
“abstract” by talking about situations.
◦ then discuss the similarities and differences between your values and the values of your classmates:
◦ What values do some of you share?
◦ How might some of your values be in conflict with each other?

5. Article “Case Summary”
Case summary should include:
-A brief summary
-What is the main point of the article?
-What are important pieces of evidence or
information that support the main point?

6. Intention / Motivation
Why do people create/write fake news? What are the various motivations/reasons?
-Money: how? Google AdSense.
-Political beliefs: what kinds? High-level or low-level.
-Find secret meaning? Feel smart? (The National Treasure motive.)
-Pleasure?
-Accident?
-Attention?

7. Distribution
How does it become publicized?
What processes and resources do these people take advantage of?
-websites: Twitter, Facebook (real pages and fake profiles), YouTube
-weird videos on FB in the last month:
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38971987
-ideological blogs: Free Republic, Breitbart, etc.
-online communities: Reddit, 4chan (with some political purpose)
-fake websites: ChristianTimesNewspaper, HealthWhatever.
-IMAGES (out of context).
-the President himself?

8. Impediments
What processes/resources stand in the way of the spread of fake news? Or push back against it?
-actual journalists: television and newspaper. (Why does this not succeed?)
-Google and FB new policies.
--Snopes
Which of these might be able to stop the rapid spread?
Why or why not?

9. Consequences and What Is to Be Done
Consequences?
What effects does this fake news have?
Can it be “undone”?
David: “The most interesting part in the articles
were the observations that even after the
original source admitted that their news story
was fake it had very little effect on rectifying the
damage that had already been done.”
How could YOU have told that any of the stories
that were described in these articles were fake?
What are some steps you could have taken?
Are there collective things that could be done?
Jasmine: “Should there be consequences for
people like Cameron Harris or are their actions
protected by the Freedom of Speech?”

10. Journal 1: News Ecosystem
Share:
What are your news sources?
What biases might this introduce?
What overlap, if any, do we see with the list of fake news enablers?
How can we deal with that?

11. HW for Wednesday
There’s reading! Where do you find it?
There’s a discussion post due by Tuesday at 6
PM. Where do you post it?
You should study for the New York Times quiz.