Fake news is a very current topic and, therefore, a strong candidate for the topic of writing in college entrance exams, Enem and other competitions.
The first step in writing fake news is to know exactly what they are so that your text does not convey wrong information. So let's start by defining the theme.
What is fake news?
Fake news or fake news, in Portuguese, is exactly that, misleading news about current events, which are based on in lies and are often shared on social networks in order to go viral and quickly spread feelings of revolt.
The consequences of its disclosure can be serious: encouraging prejudice and violence, increased disease outbreaks, moral or financial damage to people and companies.
According to Reuters Institude Digital News Report, Brazil is among the three countries that consume the most fake news, which are a type of crime for which the legislation does not yet provide for punishment.
Examples of false news
There are many fake news related to health. In recent times, the coronavirus has been their favorite target.
Thus, the Ministry of Health dedicates a section of its website to alert people to false news. Check out:
Flu vaccine increases risk of getting sick from coronavirus
The news that the flu vaccine would increase the risk of contracting the new coronavirus added to the difficulties faced by the flu vaccination campaign.
In addition to the false news about immunization, which usually appear at the time of vaccination campaigns, with the pandemic, the fact of avoiding agglomerations - plus the risk of being infected -, generated more fear in the population.
Lemon tea with hot baking soda cures coronavirus
The hope of curing covid-19 through a natural remedy was another harmful news spread to people.
This is because, in addition to the information being unproven, excessive intake of lemon tea with baking soda can be harmful to people.
Alkaline Foods Prevent Coronaviruses
Another false news that leads people to change their behavior thanks to the hope placed in natural alternatives.
This type of news diverts people's attention to correct disease prevention recommendations.
For you to know more: Understand what fake news is
How to start writing about fake news?
The first part of the essay is the introduction, which takes up 25% of the entire text. But once you know what fake news is, you still need to define the subject of your essay before you start writing it.
There are several things we can talk about about fake news, for example: the dangers offered, ways in which they are propagated, how to fight them. Which one will you address in your text?
Delimit the theme, and understand that subject and subject are different things. The subject is fake news, but there are several possibilities for dissertation on it, that is, fake news covers several topics.
It's important to remember that in a test like Enem, for example, you don't need to worry about delimiting the subject, because the essay proposal already brings exactly that.
Rest assured about the subject of writing in Enem, because even if you are not very comfortable with it, know that you can write a text as good as someone who knows more about it. Like? Using the information contained in the drafting proposal.
With the proposal, some very useful contents are provided for the development of your text, such as graphics, statistical data or news, which can and should be used in your writing, as they add value.
Writing topics on fake news and possible approaches
The dangers offered to health by fake news
Fake news has been a major concern at the time of the covid-19 pandemic. It was with this in mind that the Instituto Questão de Ciência (IQC) began to act so that the spread of false information would not put people at risk.
With regard to this topic, an essay could address how wrong information can lead thousands of people to believe in risk treatments or adopt unproven preventive forms, in addition to inducing people to have different behaviors not recommended.
The school's role in combating fake news
Being such a current issue, the school cannot be left out of an action plan. A dissertation on this topic could address how teachers could guide their students on the importance of verifying the contents received before sharing them.
In addition, classes could show ways to detect erroneous information, present websites that perform this verification - Aos Fatos, Boatos.org - and also show how it is possible to collaborate with them.
Fake news and freedom of expression
With this theme, an essay could bring reflection on freedom of expression and its limits. After all, the right to express oneself does not give the right to harm or offend other people, which precisely meets the purpose of freedom of expression.
How to develop a good text?
After delimiting the subject in the introduction, the next step is the development, which occupies about 50% of the text. At that point, you need data to make your essay more credible.
So, search on reliable books, newspapers and websites. Know that there are specialist agencies that work on checking the veracity of news. This is the case of Agência Lupa, the first company specialized in fact checking in Brazil.
However, if you arrive at the Enem newsroom and are unable to search, the data contained in the proposal will help you in the task. Trust me without fear that it is possible to do a good job just using this content.
Quotations are another way to enrich the text. They reinforce the idea that whoever wrote it has good general knowledge, as they managed to find a sentence that suited that situation.
Examples of quotes that can be used in an essay about fake news
"The only thing we can be sure of is uncertainty.." (Bauman)
This quote could be used in an essay on the dangers of false news, showing the need to confirm information - which may incite revolt or behavior change - before share it.
We cannot say that something is true, because it was read somewhere that we either don't know, or that we were simply told.
"Man is nothing but what education makes him."(Kant)
The above quote could make sense in a text that addresses the role of the school in combating fake news, transmitting the importance of school involvement to guide people to know how to identify fake news and how to act when identify them.
“The bravest act is to think for yourself. Out loud!" Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel's message on freedom of expression would make perfect sense in a newsroom with the theme of freedom of expression and fake news.
The freedom we have to express ourselves does not mean that we have the right to say what we want, without thinking about its consequences. We have no right to tell lies - fake news is a crime. Freedom of expression is expressing what we feel and what we think, which does not entitle us to lie or deceive other people.
Quotations can be used anywhere in your writing: introduction, development or conclusion.
Where to find the ideal quote for your essay:
- Quotes from various topics to use in writing
- Quotes from philosophers to help with the writing of the Enem
How to complete the essay
The conclusion must cover 25% of the text, part that must be dedicated to relating your ideas on the subject with the conclusions that can be drawn from everything you have exposed.
This exhibition should not be repetitive, after all, this is the time to present the proposal for intervention - charged in the writing of the Enem -, which must include solutions for the theme presented in the your essay.
Bibliographic references
Ministry of Health - saude.gov.br
Journalism and Lupa Checking Agency
