11-to-18-year-olds are the target for a new interactive BBC game that aims to tackle fake news
The BBC has launched a brand-new online interactive game to help young people identify fake news stories. BBC iReporter, developed by stop-motion animation studio Aardman (creators of Wallace & Gromit), has been designed to give the player a first-hand experience of what it’s like to work in a newsroom, where speed and impact are just as important as maintaining impeccable accuracy.
Set in the BBC newsroom on your first day as a BBC journalist, the game places the player in the midst of a breaking news story, where they’re faced with obstacles that make them question who to trust, when to be cautious and when to be forthright.
The “choose-your-own-adventure” format takes the user through the various pitfalls thrown up by potential “fake news” elements, putting their accuracy, impact and speed to the test. With deadlines looming, rigorous judgement is needed to ensure the right stories are published with credible facts to back them up. The game, which is available to play now, has been created as just one part of the broader BBC School Report national programme, which is helping 11-to-18-year-olds develop their critical thinking and media literacy skills.
Above, the player is left questioning who to trust and which facts to believe
More than 100 BBC journalists, including Huw Edwards, Tina Daheley and Kamal Ahmed, are also delivering worksho...