Carl Jones, Senior Lecturer in Advertising, gave a talk through Microsoft teams to nearly 1,400 students across the UK with charity Speakers for Schools about fake news and how to spot them.
Carl’s talk focused on fake news and how to spot them, in which he shared a practical checklist you can use to assess whether what you see online is legitimate or fake news. He also explored fake news appearances on social media sites, advertising and journalism.
The talk was part of a series conducted by Speakers for Schools, a charity with the mission to help level the playing field for young people of all backgrounds. They aim to end educational inequality by giving all young people the same access to educational materials by providing talks from influential academic figures and work experiences.
Since 2010, almost one million young people have been supported and inspired by these talks.
Speaking about the experience, Carl Jones said: “This is an important topic to share with young people since many are receiving information online via social media. I feel it is important to give young people a few tools to help them decide if information was real or not, and understand the type of jobs that create them.
“The talk was delivered online and took full advantage of current technology with video and sound, along with the chance to ask questions at the end. The charity organisers Speakers for Schools have really adapted to the COVID-19 situation well.”
Learn about Media and Communication courses at the University of Westminster.
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