Fake News: Checking Before You Share — Reading comprehension exercise

On her way home, Sara sees a post saying that the town library will close forever. The post has a photograph of the building and a short, angry message. Many people have shared it. Sara uses the library every week, so she wants to know more.

Before sharing the post, she looks for the original information. There is no link to an announcement. She visits the library’s website and finds a notice: the building will close for three days while workers repair the heating. It will open again on Monday.

Sara then checks the date of the photograph. It is from two years ago, when the library was being painted. The photograph is real, but it does not show what is happening now. Someone has used it in a misleading way. ‘Misleading’ means giving people the wrong idea.

Sara sends her friend a link to the library’s notice instead of sharing the angry post. She learns that a popular post is not always accurate. Checking the source, date, and other information can help her understand a story before she passes it on.