How We Get News and Stories (Year 4–6) (Years 4–6) — Sociology

A first, friendly introduction to media literacy — where stories, news and videos come from, why not everything we see or hear is completely true, and three simple questions to ask before believing or sharing something.

Where did you last hear an interesting story or piece of news? Maybe a book, a TV show, a website, or someone showed you a video on a tablet. Stories reach us in more ways than ever before.

Why this matters: Not everything we see, hear or read is completely true. Learning to think carefully before believing or sharing something keeps you — and your friends — safer and better informed.

Where do stories and news come from?

We call all the different ways stories and information reach us the media — books, newspapers, TV, radio, websites, apps and videos are all types of media. Each one can share exciting, useful, or important information.

Is it always true?

Most of the time, people try their best to tell the truth. But sometimes people make honest mistakes, sometimes people exaggerate to make a story more exciting, and sometimes a video or photo has been edited to look different from what really happened. Not everything you see online is real, even if it looks convincing.

Think about it: If you saw a video claiming a fish could fly across the sky, would you believe it straight away, or would you want to check first?

Three questions to ask before you believe or share something

Before believing or sharing a story, video or picture, it helps to pause and ask a few simple questions.

Put these three checking questions in a sensible order:

Who made this, and could they know what really happened?
Could this be a joke, a mistake, or made up for attention?
Should I ask a trusted grown-up before I believe or share it?

It is never wrong to pause and check before you believe or share something — thinking first is a sign of being a smart, careful reader, not a slow one.