A bill has been introduced in the California state legislature in 2017 that would add elements to school curricula to teach students to “judge the credibility and quality of information found on Internet Web sites, including social media.” We think we know fake news when we see it, right? Well, maybe not always. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger answer a listener’s question about the role of formal education in teaching about “fake news.” A listener is curious whether or not it is the job of schools to teach students how to better discern what they read online; and if it is, how schools and teachers could go about doing that. Ed and Jennifer discuss what “fake news” is; why it’s out there; and how students of any age can develop some sense and savvy about what they read online. Listen on for their discussion and to get the solution to last episode’s puzzler about apples and algebra.
This episode was recorded on Feb. 16, 2017.