The Story That Got Away Summary

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In the articles, “Are These Stories True? (Nope.)” by Kristin Lewis and “The Story That Got Away” by Debby Waldman, the appeal of fake news and counterfeit stories is explained. One reason why people may find it interesting is because they are re-telling stories that they have heard before, but with a slight twist to make it seem worse than it was. For example, in the folktale “The Story That Got Away”, it gives an illustration of why it is appealing by saying, “At the schoolyard, Yankel told his friends his latest story. ‘Reb Wulff put salt in the rugelach. Not sugar! Salt! Imagine that!’ Yankel said. ‘Those rugelach tasted like stones!’” (Waldman, 14). The boy, Yankel, was recounting what he heard in his father’s shop, which may have seemed …show more content…

Another reason why people, especially publishers, might find fake news appealing is from the amount of money they can earn from something that is not true. In the first article, it states, “When you click or share a story, the person or company that created the site gets money. This money comes from advertisers who pay sites based on the number of views their ads get. That’s the point of shocking or outrageous headlines: to get you to click,” (Lewis, 11). This means that, for every outrageous news story that is clicked on, whether it is real or fake, it gets a lot of money. Anyone can become rich from starting a fake news business, and that is what many find appealing about the business. All in all, whether it be the thrill of telling a story, or doing it for the money, there are always people who are interested in the fake news …show more content…

(Nope.)” by Kristin Lewis and “The Story That Got Away” by Debby Waldman, the dangers and consequences of fake news and counterfeit stories is explained. For one, fake news confuses the reader, since they are feeding them false information that looks like it could be true. In the first article, “Are These Stories True? (Nope.)”, it gives an example of this by saying, “His fake stories affected what Americans thought about the election and may have even influenced their votes. That’s a serious problem. What we read shapes our view of the world. If our minds are filled with misinformation, our sense of what is real can become skewed,” (Lewis, 11). What the author is saying is that the student that was spreading the fake news caused a lot of people to think differently about a very important event that happens in America, possibly changing their decision on who to vote for. The underlying meaning of this example is that a couple of fake news stories can cost a country its leader. Another reason that fake news can be harmful is because, once it is published, there is no way to take back whatever is said. In the second story, a famous folktale, states, “Once you tell a story, you cannot take it back. It goes where it goes, and you cannot say where or how or when,” (Waldman, 15). What the rabbi is saying in this quote is that any piece of news that is spread, fake or not, cannot be taken back once it is said. It is told and retold, which

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