Narrative NonFiction and Fake News

 


The North Carolina School Library Media Association recently presented the annual state conference for school library professionals. Because I am from a family of readers, I thoroughly enjoyed this 100% virtual event planned and produced by NC school librarians. The conference was a polished, well planned collection of best practices from across the state. The event was managed with the successful coordination of event software, Facebook, email, and other conferencing tools. Sched.com was an efficient scheduling software that permitted registrants to view the entire scheduled presentation, select the presentations for the day, and add these to a personal calendar. It was the best I’ve seen for keeping up with busy conferences and keynote speakers.  Pre-recorded presentations were skillfully presented during each scheduled segment of the conference. At the end of the 3 days, registrants can return to the NCSLMA website and view and all presentations. This was great! One can listen and view all the important information several times and not worry about copious note-taking and finding a good seat to view the screen.

       

     Facetime  worked well for small group gathering. I personally enjoyed a get-acquainted meeting on the first night of the conference. True, it wasn’t the same as eating and talking at a favorite Winston Salem restaurant but a good second option for conference attendees. And, don’t forget, most everyone could attend without the stress of securing a “sub” or time-off from work.  Parking problems were also reduced. I say this in jest. At my first NCSLMA conference my front fender was crunched while in the line to pay for exit from the parking garage. It was nerve-wracking, but an innocent mistake, for the driver who backed-up into my car. (If you are reading this, thank you for your extra good courtesy and paying for the damage.)

        

    My session was devoted to the topic of Narrative Non-Fiction. I provided examples in how to identify incorrect information in nonfiction narratives. We are all familiar with the strategies for evaluating information, but today we call this kind of analysis catching the “fake news”. There are best practices in teaching students to read for understanding while also identifying false, biased, or misleading information. The presentation was based on the work of Richard Gutkind*, professor at AZ State University. In his research he proposed use of the Three R’s when reading a narrative repor. First, Research the backstory. What is the story behind the story?  Next look for Real-World Connection. This means identify what touches the emotions or can change attitudes. Last use careful analysis to Review the facts. Our society has people working as full-time fact checkers. Imagine having to put such time and energy to expose untruths or shed light on mistakes. I think middle and high school librarians should consider making this a priority in the information skills instruction.

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