A strange letter appears on a city councillor’s desk in Birmingham, England, laying out an elaborate plot by Islamic extremists to infiltrate the city’s schools. The plot has a code name: Operation Trojan Horse. The story soon explodes in the news and kicks off a national panic. By the time it all dies down, the government has launched multiple investigations, beefed up the country’s counterterrorism policy, revamped schools and banned people from education for the rest of their lives.
To Hamza Syed, who is watching the scandal unfold in his city, the whole thing seemed … off. Because through all the official inquiries and heated speeches in Parliament, no one has ever bothered to answer a basic question: Who wrote the letter? And why?
What is fake news? It is not just any news that you don't agree with! In the age of social media it is important to be able to identify satire, biased sites, propaganda, and the strange contrived sites that are supported by ad funded programs. You can find lists of fake news sites, but remember that new sites are always being created. What is essential is for you to use your critical thinking skills to examine any source of information. Some tips on what to look for to find a credible source are listed on this page along with a list of factchecking sites to determine if a news source is giving false information.
Most of these sites have ads. Be aware as you use them that your attention is being exploited by advertisers. It is your choice whether you think the amount of advertising outweighs the usefulness of the information.