Taking the "Fake" Out of "Fake News"

November 16, 2019

Although it is nothing new, fake news has recently been thrust into the international spotlight since the Mueller Report outlined how Russian operatives attempted to sow political and social discord in American society during the 2016 presidential campaign. The sheer volume of available information and growing use of social media also mean that media literacy is an increasingly important and relevant global issue.

At PAAC’s Global Vision Summit on November 16, we strove to provide an international context for understanding misinformation and equip students with the tools they need to be discerning consumers of media. 176 aspiring global citizens in grades 9-12 from 27 schools on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi came to the event.

 

One highlight of the summit were the interactive workshops facilitated by media experts and local reporters from Honolulu Civil Beat, Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, KHON2, UH Manoa School of Communications, and Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi. See the complete list of facilitators below.

 

In one workshop, students played the role of reporters in a mock press conference and asked Dr. Bryan Mih from Hawaii Pacific Health questions about vaping. They then wrote a short news article summarizing their findings.  Another workshop featured a simulation that explored the difference between “real” and sensationalist news and the role of the press in society (pictured below). Workshops also highlighted international examples of fake news and techniques students can use to spot them, including conducting a reverse image search.

View more pictures of the Summit in our Gallery.
 

Student Reflections

“We, especially as teens, need to be extra careful about what we see online and also what news we decide to share and pass on.”

“I really value how AWARE of fake news I have become.”

“I learned the first thing in the Google search bar is not always the most reliable. Sometimes you have to do your own work for yourself, like trying to search up those authors.”

 

Mahalo to our Venue Sponsor

Pacific Asian Management Institute, Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa

 

Mahalo to our Workshop Facilitators

Mr. Mark Arakaki, Interim Editorial Advisor at Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi

Dr. Ann Auman, Professor and JOUR Undergrad Chair at UH Manoa's School of Communications

Ms. Susan Essoyan, Reporter of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Dr. Julien Gorbach, Assistant Professor at UH Manoa's School of Communications

Ms. Tina Jamias, Teacher at Aiea High, Newspaper Advisor

Ms. Suevon Lee, Reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat

Ms. Gina Mangieri, Investigative Reporter at KHON2

Dr. Bryan Mih, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health

Dr. Brett Oppegaard, Associate Professor at UH Manoa's School of Communications

Ms. Chavonnie Ramos, Editor in Chief of Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi

Dr. Michael Tsai, Reporter/Columnist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Assistant Professor of English at Kapiolani Community College

Dr. Mary Vorsino, Digital Managing Editor at Hawaii News Now