Clicks for Cash

How does internet advertising contribute to the spread of disinformation?

Well-crafted headlines benefit everyone. They help readers digest information and publishers sell news stories. But what if the headline is misleading? What if it's crafted just to get clicks or even to spread disinformation? "Clickbait" headlines may benefit advertisers and publishers, but they don't benefit readers. Help students recognize and analyze clickbait when they see it.

Objectives:

• Describe how advertisers and publishers make money through online advertising.
• Describe how clickbait can contribute to the spread of fake news and disinformation.
• Use the Take a Stand thinking routine to consider different perspectives about whose responsibility it is to fight fake news and disinformation.

Vocabulary 

• clickbait
• advertisement 
• advertiser 
• publisher (website) 
• disinformation

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