NPR

A Conspiracy Video Teaches Kids A Lesson About Fake News

Since 2016, an investigative journalist in France has been on a mission to show students how they're duped, teaching them how to tell online true from false.
Huchon writes five questions that can be used to evaluate the veracity of a news story.

Our Take A Number series is exploring problems around the world through the lens of a single number.

As the bell rings students file into class at Maxence Van der Meersch middle school. This morning the kids have a visitor - investigative journalist Thomas Huchon.

Without telling them the topic of his visit, Huchon says he's going to show them a mini-documentary.

The video tells how the CIA spread the AIDS virus in Cuba, and says that was the real reason behind the decades-long U.S. embargo. It French pharmaceutical companies could cash in on an AIDS vaccine developed by Cuban doctors.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min read
Can You Survive Summer Indoors Without AC? In Arizona, Many Don’t
Nearly half of the people who suffered heat-related deaths in Arizona last year lived outdoors without shelter, but public health officials and lawmakers are starting to pay more attention to the risk of dying indoors.
NPR4 min read
'Hacks' Season 3 Is Proof That Compelling Storylines And Character Growth Take Time
Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah (Jean Smart) have both grown a lot since we first met them in Season 1. It's a reminder that shows need breathing room to achieve satisfying development.
NPR4 min read
'Dance Your Ph.D.' Winner On Science, Art, And Embracing His Identity
Weliton Menário Costa's award-winning music video showcases his research on kangaroo personality and behavior — and offers a celebration of human diversity, too.

Related Books & Audiobooks