Are we living in an Echo Chamber?’ Northern GDST schools explore fake news

Digital tools and platforms have really changed the way that teenagers consume news. Most young people know about ‘fake news’ but it’s not always clear how to spot quality news. Shrewsbury High School hosted a workshop for the the GDST Northern Trust Schools, taking Year 10 pupils on a journey into truth, trust and technology.

Sharon Stokes, Editor of BBC News School Report launched the day with an exploration of what defines ‘fake news’. She asked what Miley Cyrus, Sylvester Stallone and Britney Spears have in common, before revealing that they’d all been wrongly pronounced dead on social media. Sharon’s session looked at how misinformation can cause distress and gave pupils tools to help them think critically and to learn how to spot a real story.

Jim Heppell, Education Director from The Day took over in the afternoon, inspiring budding journalists to consider what makes a good current affairs debate. He explained how his editorial team choose and structure their news reports and challenged the girls to create their own piece, giving them the chance to win a day at The Day.

Deandra Peiris from Sheffield High School was declared a winner for her look at Cannes in crisis.  Maddy Chilcott, Olivia Bennett and Eleanor Pryce-Boutwood from Shrewsbury High School also won for their look at the criminal justice system. The girls will head to London in early September.