Video: Chicago teacher struggles to address ‘fake news’

Students debate Trump's claims that CNN is "fake news."

By Marianna Brady

Teacher Mark Lenz is struggling to teach his English class students at Catalyst-Maria High School on Chicago’s southwest side about sources now that President Donald Trump has claimed that CNN and other media organizations are “fake news.”

Lenz said he feels awkward that he is forced to contradict the president about what is “fake” and what is “real.”

He realized it was time to address the concept head-on when a student asked if he could use CNN as a source in a research paper after Donald Trump was elected president. The student said he didn’t know if it was a valid source after Trump called the media organization “fake news.”

This video highlights the struggle to teach students to decipher truth from falsehood in the era of “fake news.”

Photo at top: Students debate on February 22 Trump’s claims that CNN is “fake news.” (Marianna Brady/MEDILL)