Name 
For use with “Fake News Fooling Millions!” on p. 6 of the magazine
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Class 
QUIZ
Fake News Fooling Millions!
Choose the best answer for each of the following questions. Refer to the article as needed.
CHECK COMPREHENSION
1. What is the central idea of the article?
a For decades, fake news stories have been a popular
and mostly harmless form of entertainment.
b Fake news sites often feature professional designs.
c Fake news stories often contain partial truths.
d Fake news sites are flourishing on the internet
and raising concerns.
2. Which statement is true about fake news?
a You can recognize it as fake because
it doesn’t include photos.
b It often goes viral on social media sites.
c People first began falsifying news
in the 21st century.
d all of the above
3. A main goal of “yellow journalism” was to
a adhere to professional reporting standards.
b get around government censors.
c present “feel-good” news to make Americans
more optimistic.
d sell more newspapers.
4. Based on the article, the “echo chamber”
phenomenon is probably at work when you
a share an article you enjoyed with someone
who has similar political views to yours.
b verify that a news story you just read
is actually true.
c read a news article twice to make sure
you understand it.
d get your news only from online sources.
IN-DEPTH QUESTIONS Please use the other side of this paper for your responses.
9. What are the similarities and differences between today’s fake news and the “yellow journalism” of the past?
10. Do you think some audiences are better able than others to identify fake news? Explain.
ANALYZE THE TEXT
5. Which of these is presented as the main problem
with fake news?
a It can be very hard to discern from real news.
b It costs Americans billions of dollars a year.
c It causes Americans to waste time.
d It is created by governments of enemy nations.
6. In the section “Yellow Journalism,” which phrase
provides context for understanding the meaning
of the word partisan?
a “standards of objectivity”
b “skewed toward one political viewpoint
c “penchant for creating this material”
d “much greater reach than before”
7. You can infer from the article that Facebook
a wants fake news providers to be prosecuted.
b is not permitted under the First Amendment
to censor fake news.
c is unlikely to ban fake news.
d is responsible for creating many fake news reports.
8. Which detail from the article best supports
the answer to question 7?
a “Fake or highly distorted news is nothing new.”
b “But [Zuckerberg] also noted the company’s
philosophy of being an open forum . . .”
c “. . . the First Amendment’s free speech
protections prohibit only the government
from censoring speech.”
d “. . . many people called for social media
platforms and search engines to limit
or ban questionable websites.”
J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 7 • U P F R O N T M A G A Z I N E . C O M • T9
JA NUA RY 9, 20 1 7   •   UP F R O N T M AGA ZI N E .CO M
MEDIA LITERACY For use with “Fake News Fooling Millions!” on p. 6 of the magazine

Know Whether It’s News

After reading and discussing the Upfront article “Fake News Fooling Millions!” use this form to evaluate the reliability
of a news story you read online.

QUESTIONS NOTES

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1. What organization published the article?
What do you know about the group?
(Try scouring the website for “About Us”
information, or use a search engine to see
what others have to say about the site.)

2. What seems to be the purpose

of the article?

3. Does the article give different sides of

the issue or topic? Or does it seem biased?
Explain.

4. If the article has a shocking headline,

does it have facts and quotes to back it up?
(Note: Some fake news sources count on
people reading only the headline of a story
before sharing it on social media!)

5. Look at other news stories on the same

site. Do most of them seem hard to believe?
(If they all seem unbelievable, that’s a red flag.
Real news is rarely that unimaginable!)

6. Can you verify the story in a news source

you know you can trust—like the website
of a well-known newspaper, magazine, or TV
news program?

SYNTHESIZE: In the end, do you think the news article you read is reliable? Using your notes, write a paragraph
explaining your answer.

T12 • UPFRONT • UPFRONTMAGAZINE.COM

JA NUA RY 9, 20 1 7   •   UP F R O N T M AGA ZI N E .CO M
 Name  Class 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS For use with the article on p. 6 of the magazine

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FAKE NEWS FOOLING MILLIONS!

Analyze the Article

1. Why are fake news sites flourishing?

2. What are tech companies doing to limit the reach

of fake news?

3. What are some of the things you can do to spot

fake news?

4. What are the free speech issues that have arisen

regarding fake news?

J A N U A R Y 9, 2 0 1 7 • U P F R O N T M A G A Z I N E . C O M
 Name  Class 

CENTRAL IDEAS & KEY DETAILS For use with “Fake News Fooling Millions!” on p. 6 of the magazine

Organizing Ideas
Tracking central ideas and key details can help you navigate the complexity of a nonfiction text.
After reading “Fake News Fooling Millions!” fill in the blank sections below to provide a full

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picture of the information presented in the article.

Why fake news is a problem for the public:

1._________________________________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________________________________

Examples of people who create fake news:

1._________________________________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________________________________

Why fake news easily spreads in today’s world:

1._________________________________________________________________________________________

2._________________________________________________________________________________________

3._________________________________________________________________________________________

ON YOUR OWN: The last section of this article focuses on tech companies like Google and Facebook and their
role in limiting the visibility of fake news sites as well as policing the spread of fake news stories from these sites.
Based on the information provided in the article, should social media and search engine companies be responsible
for limiting access to fake news sites and stories? Cite examples from the text to support your claim.

J A N U A R Y 9, 2 0 1 7 • U P F R O N T M A G A Z I N E . C O M