- Have you ever shared something true with a friend who, for whatever reason, refused to believe you? Your friend may have said, “No way,” or “Prove it.” All the while you knew what you said was 100 percent true. Tell us a bit about that experience. (Answers will vary.)
- Have you ever doubted something someone told you? If so, why didn’t you believe what was said? (Answers will vary.)
The term “fake news” has become popular over the past few years. Fake news refers to messages spread primarily online through social media or news services—messages that are partly untrue or completely false. Someone sees a story or video and passes it along to a friend, who believes the fake news and passes it along to more friends, and soon the fake news is out there being accepted as truth.
Show the following video [1:04]:
Remember These Mind-Blowing Viral Videos? Yeah, They Were Fake
- If the woman narrating the video had not told us the pictures were fake, would you have believed what you saw with the lion attack, the bear chase, or the shark escape? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)
- Which picture—the lion attack, the bear chase, or the shark escape—looked closest to being real news? Why? (Answers will vary.)
Fake news is posted by some for fun, to see if their story will go viral or to count how many views it will get. Some fake news is posted in a malicious way, with intent to harm a reputation.
- Have you ever been fooled by fake news or a fake video? (Answers will vary.)
- How can we tell the difference between what is actually true and what is fake news? (Answers will vary.)
Sometimes it seems like people are quick to believe fake news without fact-checking, yet slow to accept real news. Happily, the proof of some real good news was validated to Jesus’ disciples many years ago.
