Italy has it right. Fake news is dietrologia, there’s something behind the surface

RASHMEE ROSHAN LALL October 20, 2017

Italy has it right, it’s just got the generation wrong.

On October 31, thousands of high schools across Italy will learn that it’s wise to consume news with a soupcon of caution.

Italy is launching what has to be one of the first concerted attempts in the world to tackle so-called digital deceit (when we were children it was called lies). The government is collaborating with leading tech companies such as Facebook to teach schoolchildren to verify, then trust. They’ll be taught how to read news – look for who’s quoted and the evidence provided.

Ahead of elections next year, Italy seems to think it a good idea to teach young children how to deal with conspiracy theories and unverified news shockers.

But here’s the problem. If it’s the 2018 election the authorities worry about, shouldn’t they be teaching those children’s parents?