EFE learning modules / News & Media

scenario 2 two friends sarah and mark are sitting

Scenario Context

"Two friends, Sarah and Mark, are sitting in a coffee shop discussing a recent viral news story they saw on social media and debating how to identify reliable sources of information."

Speakers
S

Sarah

A journalism student who is passionate about media literacy and accurate reporting.

M

Mark

A casual news consumer who often gets his information from social media feeds.

The Dialogue

Tap highlighted words to view vocabulary cards below.

Sarah
Did you see that article everyone is sharing today about the new city park project?
Mark
Yeah, I saw it on my feed this morning. It looks like they are canceling the whole thing.
Sarah
Wait, which website did you read that on?
Mark
I think it was called 'City Pulse News'. Why do you ask?
Sarah
I'm curious about the of that site because the official news outlets haven't reported a cancellation.
Mark
It had a lot of shares and comments, so I figured it must be true.
Sarah
Popularity doesn't always equal truth. Sometimes spreads faster than facts.
Mark
That is true, but the headline was very shocking.
Sarah
That is often a sign of , designed just to get clicks.
Mark
What do you mean by ?
Sarah
It is when media outlets use exaggerated language to cause strong feelings.
Mark
I guess the title was a bit like now that I think about it.
Sarah
Exactly. We have to be careful about the in the articles we read too.
Mark
How can I tell if a has a ?
Sarah
Check if they use emotional words or if they only show one side of the story.
Mark
I usually just scroll through social media for quick updates.
Sarah
Social media is a common media , but it is not always a primary .
Mark
What is a primary then?
Sarah
A primary is a direct witness or an official document from the event.
Mark
So, I should look for official government statements?
Sarah
Yes, or reports from established journalists who practice strict .
Mark
sounds like a lot of work for a regular reader.
Sarah
It is essential though. helps us avoid believing lies.
Mark
Are there websites that do the for us?
Sarah
Yes, there are several reputable sites dedicated to checking the accuracy of viral stories.
Mark
Is the local newspaper more than an anonymous blog?
Sarah
Generally, yes, because newspapers have an editorial process to ensure they are .
Mark
What does being involve?
Sarah
It means reporting facts without letting personal feelings or opinions influence the story.
Mark
I'll try to be more critical of what I read from now on.
Sarah
That is a great habit to develop in this digital age.
Mark
Thanks for explaining this, Sarah. I'll double-check that park story now.

Scene Vocabulary

Practice vocabulary words & meanings.

Credibility

/ክሬዲቢሊቲ/

ታማኝነት

The quality of being trusted and believed in.

የመታመን እና የማመን ጥራት።

Misinformation

/ሚስኢንፎርሜሽን/

የተሳሳተ መረጃ

False or inaccurate information that is spread, regardless of intent.

ሆን ተብሎም ይሁን ሳይታሰብ የሚሰራጭ የተሳሳተ ወይም ትክክል ያልሆነ መረጃ።

Sensationalism

/ሴንሴሽናሊዝም/

ስሜት ቀስቃሽነት

The use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of accuracy.

ትክክለኛነትን በመተው አስደሳች ወይም አስደንጋጭ ታሪኮችን ወይም ቋንቋን መጠቀም።

Clickbait

/ክሊክቤይት/

የሐሰት አርዕስት

Content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link.

ዋና ዓላማው ትኩረትን መሳብ እና ጎብኚዎች ሊንክ እንዲጫኑ ማበረታታት የሆነ ይዘት።

Bias

/ባያስ/

አድልዎ

Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another.

ከሌላው ጋር ሲነጻጸር ለአንድ ነገር፣ ሰው ወይም ቡድን የሚደረግ አድልዎ።

Verification

/ቨሪፊኬሽን/

ማረጋገጫ

The process of establishing the truth, accuracy, or validity of something.

የአንድን ነገር እውነትነት፣ ትክክለኛነት ወይም ተቀባይነት የማረጋገጥ ሂደት።

Fact-checking

/ፋክት ቼኪንግ/

እውነታን ማረጋገጥ

Investigating (an issue) in order to verify the facts.

እውነታዎችን ለማረጋገጥ (አንድን ጉዳይ) መመርመር።

Objective

/ኦብጄክቲቭ/

ገለልተኛ

Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.

እውነታዎችን በሚያቀርቡበት ጊዜ በግል ስሜቶች ወይም አስተያየቶች አለመመራት።

Source

/ሶርስ/

ምንጭ

A place, person, or thing from which something comes or can be obtained.

አንድ ነገር የሚመጣበት ወይም የሚገኝበት ቦታ፣ ሰው ወይም ነገር።

Reliable

/ሪላየብል/

አስተማማኝ

Consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted.

በጥራት ወይም በአፈጻጸም ወጥ የሆነ ጥሩ፤ ሊታመን የሚችል።