Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts in his 2019 year end report spoke about the dangers of fake news and the need for more civics education. He utilized the story of how the Federalist papers, America’s greatest civics lesson was written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. Jay contributed the least work in large part because of an injury he suffered quelling a public disturbance based on a fake rumor.
Fake news always existed, but with the advent of the internet the ability for it to spread unchecked has been supercharged. This is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society in 2020.
“In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public’s need to understand our government, and the protections it provides, is ever more vital.”
He went on to talk about ways “judges and staff of federal courts are taking up the challenge” including courthouses hosting learning centers.
Locally, I’m happy to hear the East Penn School District is tackling this subject. Teachers are including lessons showing students how to independently analyze news reports for bias and to fact-check stories.
