“Save the Pacific Northwest tree octopus”: a hoax revisited. Or. How vulnerable are school children to fake news?
| Pages | 514-528 |
| Date | 08 October 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-04-2018-0031 |
| Published date | 08 October 2018 |
| Author | Eugène Loos,Loredana Ivan,Donald Leu |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
“Save the Pacific Northwest tree
octopus”: a hoax revisited. Or
How vulnerable are school children
to fake news?
Eugène Loos
Utrecht University School of Governance,
Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Loredana Ivan
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration,
Bucharest, Romania, and
Donald Leu
Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to propose a new literacies approach to get insight into young people’s
capabilityto detect fake news.
Design/methodology/approach –This studyis a replicationof a US empirical studyin The Netherlands
to examine whether schoolchildren were able to identify thespoof website “Save The PacificNorthwestTree
Octopus”asfake.
Findings –In The Netherlands,only 2 out of 27 school children (7 per cent) recognized the website as being
a hoax; results that are worse, even, than those of the 2007 US study, where the website was recognized as
being unreliableby slightly more than 6 out of 53 school children (11 per cent).
Research limitations/implications –A similar but large-scale quantitativeempirical study should be
conductedin several countries to see if the trends in the US and The Netherlands are indeed significant.
Practical implications –It is important to start teaching children at an early age how to critically
evaluateonline information.
Social implications –The perceived reliability of digital informationis a hot issue, given the frequency
with which fake news is circulated. Being able to critically evaluate digital information will help to have
access to trustworthyinformation.
Originality/value –Instead of using technological fact checking by Google, Facebook and Twitter, this paper
suggests the adoption of a new literacies approach, focusing on young people’s capability to detect fake news.
Keywords New literacies, Replication study, Fake news, Hoax, Reliable digital information,
School children, Tree octopus spoof website
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
If we, as a society, are seekingto achieve equal opportunities for all, accessible information
is of prime importance. In that context, Van den Hoven (1994, p. 369), referring to Rawls
(1993), goes so far as to refer to information as a “primary good.”As all citizens have an
equal right of access to information, Bovens (2002) and Bovens and Loos (2002) have
ILS
119,9/10
514
Received22 April 2018
Accepted11 May 2018
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.119 No. 9/10, 2018
pp. 514-528
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-04-2018-0031
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