Skip to content
Cart
Teachers College Press
  • Blog
  • Permissions
  • About
  • Catalogs
  • Series
  • Contact
  • New Releases
  • Browse Books
  • Authors
  • ERS
  • Upcoming Events
  • Resources
  • New Releases
  • Browse Books
  • Authors
  • ERS
    • ERS Overview
    • ERS News
    • ITERS
    • ECERS
    • FCCERS
    • SACERS
    • PAS & BAS
    • ERS Resources
    • Training
    • Links
    • Purchase orders
  • Upcoming Events
  • Resources
    • For Customers
    • For Authors
    • For Booksellers
    • For Librarians
  • Blog
  • Permissions
  • About
    • Our Staff
  • Catalogs
  • Series
    • Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies Series
    • Disability, Culture, and Equity Series
    • Early Childhood Education Series
    • International Perspectives on Education Reform Series
    • Language and Literacy Series
    • Multicultural Education Series
    • Practitioner Inquiry Series
    • Research and Practice in Social Studies Series
    • School : Questions
    • Speculative Education Approaches Series
    • Spaces In-between Series
    • STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series
    • Teaching for Social Justice Series
    • Technology, Education—Connections
    • Visions of Practice Series
  • Contact
‹ Browse Books

Unpacking Fake News

An Educator's Guide to Navigating the Media with Students

Edited by: Wayne Journell

Foreword by: Rebecca Klein

Afterword by: Jeremy Stoddard

Publication Date: March 8, 2019

Pages: 176

Available Formats
PAPERBACK
ISBN: 9780807761144
$34.95
HARDCOVER
ISBN: 9780807761151
$84.00
EBOOK
ISBN: 9780807777589
$34.95
Unpacking Fake News 9780807761144
Google Preview
  • Description
  • Author
  • Reviews
  • Contents
  • Awards

Description+

Since the 2016 presidential election, the term fake news has become part of the national discourse. Although some have appropriated the term for political purposes, actual fake news represents an inherent threat to American democracy given the ease through which it is consumed and shared via social media. This book is one of the first of its kind to address the implications of fake news for the K–12 classroom. It explores what fake news is, why students are susceptible to believing it, and how they can learn to identify it. Leading civic education scholars use a psychoanalytic lens to unpack why fake news is effective and to show educators how they can teach their students to be critical consumers of the political media they encounter. The authors also link these ideas to the broader task of civic education and critical engagement in the democratic process.

Book Features:

  • Provides historical and contemporary perspectives on fake news.
  • Describes how students’ social media habits make them prone to sharing false information.
  • Details research describing how students fail to recognize fake news.
  • Examines how misinformation impacts classroom discussion of social issues.
  • Offers research-based instructional strategies for helping students become aware of, and responsive to, fake news.

Author+

Wayne Journell is associate professor and secondary education program coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He currently serves as editor of Theory & Research in Social Education and is a past recipient of the Exemplary Research in Social Studies Award from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).

Reviews+

“Timely, provocative, and eminently readable…Journell realized that he could bring important perspectives together in one place, and the result is this book. As a knowledgeable reader, I have had the opportunity to analyze, criticize, and admire what he and his collaborators have produced. Whether a novice or an expert, you too are likely to be stimulated by what this book offers.”

—Teachers College Record

“Inside this book you will find a thorough explanation of what 'fake news' is, how it became such a phenomenon, and why we are so susceptible to believing it. You will find descriptions of simple lessons practiced by experts that can help make students more critical news consumers. You will hear from a variety of perspectives, some of which are sadly still too often overlooked in mainstream narratives. You may even learn that you have not been reading news with the most judicious eye.” —From the foreword by Rebecca Klein, HuffPost

“While ‘fake news’ is not new and often not really news, this engaging collection of insightful essays makes the case quite clearly that its impact on democracy is likely more serious now than it has been in the past. Not shying away from the important ‘what should we do now’ question, one of the notable strengths of this book is its emphasis on concrete approaches with the potential to help students develop the critical eye and specific skills needed to protect themselves and the larger democracy from the insidious influence of fake news.”
—Diana Hess, professor and dean of the School of Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“This book is both an important contribution to social studies education and a timely response to the demands of our current political moment. Educators have always faced the challenge of helping young people make sense of social issues amidst a swirl of sometimes superficial, contradictory, or misleading information. In this volume, we learn what is distinctive about today’s problem of ‘fake news’ and how it affects young people inside and outside of schools. The authors also offer educators promising ways of thinking and acting to help students forge an active and empowered relationship to news and knowledge about public life.”
—John Rogers, professor and director of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access

“Fake news is a critical problem for our society, and especially for educators who teach civics. The authors of this important book use rigorous empirical evidence, real-world experience, and thoughtful arguments to propose a range of solutions that civic educators—and all citizens—should consider.”
—Peter Levine, associate dean, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University

“A much-needed set of analyses, offering multiple perspectives on the problem, and loaded with insights.”
—Walter Parker, professor, University of Washington

Contents+

Contents

Foreword by Rebecca Klein

Preface

Introduction: Fake News and the Imperative of Civic Education
   Wayne Journell

Chapter 1. Why Does Fake News Work? On the Psychosocial Dynamics of Learning, Belief, and Citizenship
   H. James Garrett

Chapter 2. Real Recognize Real: Thoughts on Race, Fake News, and Naming Our Truths
   Ashley N. Woodson, LaGarrett J. King, and Esther Kim

Chapter 3. Teens, Social Media, and Fake News
   Ellen Middaugh

Chapter 4. How Students Evaluate Digital News Sources
   Sarah McGrew, Joel Breakstone, Teresa Ortega, Mark Smith,   and Sam Wineburg

Chapter 5. Teaching in the Twilight Zone of Misinformation,    Disinformation, Alternative Facts, and Fake News
   Avner Segall, Margaret Smith Crocco, Anne-Lise Halvorsen, and Rebecca Jacobsen

Chapter 6. Judging Credibility in Un-Credible Times: Three Educational Approaches for the Digital Age
   Erica Hodgin and Joseph Kahne 

Chapter 7. Political Memes and the Limits of Media Literacy
   Wayne Journell and Christopher H. Clark

Chapter 8. Two Truths and Fake News: Lessons for Young Learners
   Jennifer Hauver  

Afterword by Jeremy Stoddard

About the Editor and Contributors

Index

Awards+

Wayne Journell, Winner of the 2018 NCSS Exemplary Research Award

$34.95

Professors: Request an Exam Copy

Print copies available for US orders only. For orders outside the US, see our international distributors.

Sign Up & Save!

Join our e-newsletter to stay current with voices from the field and receive discounts on all new releases.


Sign Up ›
Teachers College Press

Administrative Office
1234 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 678-3929

Customer Service
phone 1-800-575-6566
tcporders@presswarehouse.com

Copyright 2025 Teachers College Press|
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Return Policy | Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Youtube