READING PRACTICE 6
What is fake news? Why is it so hard to disprove? Who creates it, and why? Read this
article to find out.
The rise of fake news
In December 2016 Edgar M. Welch drove six hours from his home to Washington
DC, where he opened fire in a pizzeria with an assault rifle. He had previously read an
online news story about the restaurant being the headquarters of a group of child
abusers run by Hillary Clinton. He decided to investigate for himself; fortunately, no
one was hurt.
The story about Hillary Clinton is one of the most famous examples of the growing
phenomenon dubbed ‘fake news’. The conspiracy theory about the pizzeria began to
appear on websites and social networks in late October, before the US election. This
was quickly denounced by publications such as The New York Times and The
Washington Post. However, many people thought that these papers were themselves
lying for political ends and instead of disappearing, the fake story snowballed. Tweets
from ‘Representative Steven Smith of the 15th District of Georgia’ claimed that the
mainstream media were telling falsehoods. Even though both this name and district
were invented, the message was re-tweeted many times. A YouTube refutation of
the New York Times article got 250,000 hits.
Fake news stories can be hard to control for several reasons. Many people mistrust
established news sources and others just don’t read them, so the debunking of a fake
story by a serious newspaper or TV channel has limited effect. In addition, the internet
is very hard to police. When users are caught misusing one media platform, they
simply go to another one or start up a website themselves.
There are also various reasons why people create fake news. Some have political
motives, to belittle or incriminate their opponents. Other websites, like The Onion,
deliberately publish fake news as satire – humorous comment on society and current
affairs. Another group is in it for the profit: many people clicking on entertaining fake
news stories can bring in a lot of advertising revenue. One man running fake news
sites from Los Angeles said he was making up to US$ 30,000 a month in this way.
There are also those, like the small-town teenagers in Macedonia who wrote fake
news stories about Donald Trump, who seem to be motivated partly by money and
partly by boredom.
So, what can we do to stop fake news spreading? First, make sure that the websites
you read are legitimate, for example by looking carefully at the domain name and the
About Us section. Check the sources of any quotes or figures given in the story.
Remember that amazing stories about famous people will be covered by the
mainstream media if they are true. Only share stories you know are true and let your
friends know, tactfully, when they unknowingly share fake news. Together we can
turn around the post-truth world!
1
Preparation
Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–h next to the numbers 1–
8.
1…c….. a liar a. not factually correct or true
2…a….. false b. something which appears to be true or real but
actually isn’t; it is intended to confuse or deceive
people
3…e….. a conspiracy c. a person who tells lies
theory
4…g….. to claim d. a lie, or an incorrect or untrue statement
5…b….. fake e. a belief that a particular situation or event has been
secretly planned and organised by powerful people
to serve their own interests
6…h….. to denounce f. to say something which is real or correct
something
7…d….. a falsehood g. to state that something is true, often without
providing any evidence to support the statement
8…f….. to tell the truth h. to state strongly and publicly that something is
incorrect
Task 1. Check your understanding: matching
Match the headings with the correct paragraph and write a–f next to the numbers 1–6.
1…e….. Paragraph 1 a. Why fake news is hard to stop
2…f….. Paragraph 2 b. How we can try and control fake news
3…a….. Paragraph 3 c. Motives for creating fake news
4…c….. Paragraph 4 d. The financial rewards of fake news
5…b….. Paragraph 5 e. An example of a fake news story
6…d….. Not used f. How a fake news story can grow
2
Task 2. Check your understanding: multiple choice
Circle the best answer to these questions.
1. Why did Elgar Welch go to the pizzeria?
a. He was trying to commit robbery.
b. He hated all supporters of Hillary Clinton.
c. He was working as a private investigator and investigating a crime.
d. He had become concerned after reading an untrue news story.
2. Why did many people not believe The Washington Post and The New York
Times when they denounced the pizzeria story?
a. They checked the facts and found that the articles were incorrect.
b. They didn't trust anybody.
c. They thought the newspapers had a political agenda.
d. They thought the newspapers had not researched the story carefully enough.
3. Who is Steven Smith?
a. a local politician from Georgia
b. a journalist on The New York Times
c. a member of the US House of Representatives
d. a fictitious person, created to attack the media
4. Which reason for the difficulty of controlling fake news stories is not given in
the article?
a. Many people don’t read the mainstream media.
b. Online media platforms don’t check stories before publishing them.
c. People are sceptical of the mainstream media.
d. Fake news stories can easily switch to other websites and platforms if caught.
5. Which type of motivation for the creation of fake news is not given?
a. It’s a way of making money from people who pay to read the stories.
b. It’s a way of commenting on current affairs.
c. It’s a way of attacking your political opponents.
d. It’s a form of entertainment.
3
6. How does the author feel about stopping fake news spreading?
a. cautiously optimistic
b. doubtful
c. positive
d. pessimistic
Task 3. Check your vocabulary: gap fill
Complete the sentences with a word or phrase from the box.
claimed conspiracy theories denounces liar
truth falsehood false fake
1. I know you’re lying to me. Just tell me the ____truth___________!
2. Let’s play a game. I tell you a fact and you have to tell me whether it’s true or
_____ false__________.
3. After John F Kennedy’s assassination, there were lots of ___conspiracy
theories____________ about who killed him and why.
4. Many people prefer to wear ____fake___________ fur instead of clothes made
from real animal fur.
5. The newspaper article is of great importance. It ___ denounces____________
human rights abuses all over the world.
6. She accused him of telling a __ falsehood_____________.
7. I swear that’s the truth! Are you saying I’m a ___ liar____________?
8. The website ___claimed____________ that the government has been lying to us,
but it didn’t present much real evidence.
Discussion
Where do you get your news from? Do you follow mainstream news media?
Do you think fake news is a problem?
Your answer:
