Fake News and the "War of the Worlds" Broadcast, October 30th, 1938


I'm always trying to find new and interesting ways to introduce the idea of News Literacy to 6th graders in their Information Skills classes. Some may feel this is too young to start this conversation. Hopefully, as these 6th graders become more inclined to seek news sources for answers to their questions, and to inform themselves when making civic and political choices, the lessons learned about being aware of "confirmation bias," and  the difference between fact and persuasion will connect for them. As we know, many adults view and read news sources that confirm their perspective or bias and might benefit from some of our work in News Literacy!

This year, in an attempt to make our first foray into "Fake News," fun and engaging, I stumbled upon a lesson plan that was designed for High School students about the broadcast of the "War of the Worlds." On October 30th, 1938, the Mercury Theater on the Air presented a dramatized version of H.G. Wells War of the Worlds. The rest, as they say, is history. Approximately, one million people believed the broadcast. Once the hysteria dissipated and listeners realized that this was a theatrical production on the radio, the questions started about the intention of the network and actors who quite convincingly produced the piece. They claimed to have used accepted "radio techniques" to make the show seem like a news announcement and instead sparked the mass response.

Modifying this lesson for Middle School students, included discussing the historical context of both Nazi Germany looming large in Europe and the uncertainty of the Great Depression making this dramatic piece all the more believable. While I did touch upon the history with the first group of 6th graders with whom I tried this lesson, I wanted them to focus on both the presentation itself and the techniques used to make the "War of the Worlds" so believable. The radio techniques used in the dramatization were:
#1-Prestige of Speakers-When an idea has a better chance of acceptance if endorsed by a well-known person with status.
#2-Radio as an accepted source of important announcements-of local, national and international news events.
#3-Specific incidents-enhanced by descriptions of occurrences that a listener could readily imagine.
#4-Everybody baffled-The events reported proceeded from the relatively credible to the highly incredible

Are these techniques, used 81 years ago to create an authentic-sounding on-air production of a Martian invasion, so different from the techniques used today to create and share questionable news? As we examine these techniques applied to this particular radio incident, students will be encouraged to create their own set of standards through which they can view 21st-century news. The difference between the infamous "War of the World" broadcast and questionable news stories today is that one was meant to entertain using trusted methods, the other is meant to mislead. The challenge is to help our students become better consumers of information delivered through mass media outlets masquerading as news. Why are we so ready to believe news that is questionable? What can we learn from the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" to become better news consumers? Would we too be persuaded to believe something that is fundamentally untrue? Let's learn from the lessons of the past.