BBC game helps kids lead the fight against fake news
The launch coincides with BBC School Report News Day.
The BBC wants the news consumers of tomorrow to understand and identify fake news, and has launched a game to help them do exactly that. The game, called BBC iReporter, puts young people in the shoes of a newbie BBC journalist about to break their first news story. Players must make all kinds of journalistic choices in pursuit of their scoop. Which sources should they trust? Where should they go to check their facts? Their objective, just like real journalists, is to deliver a tight, credible story against the clock, or face the wrath of their editor.
The BBC announced its youth-focused fake news-fighting initiative last year. Its ambition, clearly, is to equip kids with the skills they need to make sensible judgement calls on the media they consume. Right now, fake news is causing ripples both online and in the real world -- undoubtedly a more informed future generation will help to mitigate that.
The game, developed by animation studio Aardman, launches today on BBC School Report News Day, which sees journalists and editors head into schools around the UK to share their skills, hold workshops and give students a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a fast-paced media company.
