ELC590

TEMPLATE: PREPARATION OUTLINE

PERSUASIVE SPEECH

Student’s Name : NURUL NAJIHAH BINTI FADZIN

Matric Number : 2018249908
Faculty / Group : FACULTY CHEMICAL ENGNEERING / EH2203D
Lecturer’s Name : MR. GOPIGHANTAN A/L MYLVAGANAM

Speech Title : Fake news: A hoax or a global problem?

Organisational Pattern: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Visual Aid : Power point slides
General Purpose : To persuade
Specific Purpose : To persuade my audience to think twice before sharing any news online.
Central Idea : Fake news may be just a hoax but recently be an insidious trend that's fast
becoming a global problem therefore, we must evaluate the accuracy of the
information posted online to prevent sharing lies to all internet users

Introduction

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Attention)

I. Attention getter
The latest rumor makes the outlandish (and scientifically impossible) claim that a worker at a
Cadbury candy factory was arrested for contaminating products with his HIV-positive blood and
that people should avoid eating the chocolates. In fact, an almost identical – and equally false –
hoax message that uses the very same image claims that the pictured man had contaminated
Pepsi products rather than Cadbury products. In reality, the image shows a terrorist suspect who
was extradited to Nigeria from Sudan. (video) (MIKKELSON, Are Cadbury Products
Contaminated with HIV?, 2018)

II. My topic for today is: Are fake news just some kind of hoaxes or a global problem? We will
get the answer at the end of my speech. Have you ever share any post online?

III. Being the first to share a story in your group of friends, showing others that you know and
provoking discussion make social media users feel good. But, sometimes people will rush
to share information not knowing if it is true. (What we’ve learnt about fake news in Africa,
2018)

IV. Establish credibility

A. From my research on this topic, I finally realize the real consequences of fake news
stories and why we cannot ignore them.
B. The chart from BuzzFeed’s Craig Silverman presents the total Facebook engagements
for the top 20 election stories during US Presidential Election 2016.
C. Engagements based on the number of shares, reactions, and comments for a piece of
content in Facebook for the top 20 mainstream news stories against the top 20 fake
news stories for three three-month periods.
D. As you can see, in the early months of 2016 election, mainstream news have higher
total of Facebook engagements compared to fake news. But in the last three months,

Updated: 3 September 2018 Created by ELC590 Resource Team

 total of Facebook engagements of fake news arised and takes place for the highest
total of Facebook engagements on the Election Day. This shows how media users
react to fake news rather than true news. (Lee, The top 20 fake news stories
outperformed real news at the end of the 2016 campaign, 2016)

V. Preview body/ state central idea (Note: Central idea should only be ONE sentence that
previews the overall speech)
Fake news can be an insidious trend that's fast becoming a global problem, we must
evaluate the accuracy of the information posted online to prevent sharing lies to all internet
users

(Transition: Let’s take a closer look on how bad is fake news?)

Body

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Need)

I. Fake news has the ability to swing public opinion and even spark violence. Moreover, it
may cause people to make bad decisions.

A. Fake news is an issue that affects all of us, especially considering its ability to swing
public opinion and even spark violence.
1. Ability to swing public opinion and even spark violence
a. As occurred in Washington, DC where a man discharged a rifle in a
pizza restaurant after reading a completely fabricated story that the
restaurant was the center of a Hillary Clinton-affiliated child
pornography ring. Luckily, no one was hurt, but it could have been
tragic. (How & why to avoid sharing fake news, 16)

B. Fake news can cause people to make bad decisions, such as voting for or against a
candidate or an issue based on false information.
1. Fake news doesn’t just threaten the integrity of elections. It also can erode
the people’s trust in real news .It may effect someone’s point of view about an
event, a leader or community. Moreover, fake news lead to spreading of
rumors across all media channels and people will tend to speculate the
stories shared. (TEMMING, Scientists enlist computers to hunt down fake
news, 2018)

(Transition: So what’s the solution? What we can do today to help stop the spread of fake news?)

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Satisfaction)

II. Here are some suggestions for what we can do today to help stop the spread of fake news
and to be proactive in verification before you share a news story.

A. Avoid spreading fake news

1. At a minimum, you should avoid spreading fake news, which is almost as bad
as creating it.
a. No one wants to be known as a “liar,” but if you spread fake news
without making at least a minimal effort to validate it, that’s pretty
much what you are doing, even if you didn’t mean to lie. (How & why
to avoid sharing fake news, 16)

B. You can also report it using Facebook’s tool

Updated: 3 September 2018 Created by ELC590 Resource Team

 1. If that’s where you find it or by commenting that the story is fake so that other
people who see it will also see your correction.
a. Make sure you include a link to any fact checking source so that
people can see why you believe it’s fake (How & why to avoid
sharing fake news, 16)

C. Step in when you see a friend sharing a fake story on social media.
1. Include a link to a post on Snopes or other evidence that refutes the story
a. Therefore, people will be discouraged from commenting on (which
likely increases a post’s visibility) or, worse, sharing the fake story.
(How & why to avoid sharing fake news, 16)

(Transition: How much have been effected by fake news?)

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Visualisation)

III. Believe it or not. Just by clicking the sharing option without considering whether the story
is true or fake, many have been affected by fake news. Fake news spreading is bad for
business and cause damage to personal reputation.

A. Bad for Business

1. Big corporations are becoming the targets for some reasons.

a. Coffee-giant Starbucks had to temporarily close a branch in Atlanta

after a post accusing a barista of mixing revolting substances into the
food and drink of white customers went viral. (Jain, The Negative
Impact Of Fake News, 2018)

B. Damaging to Personal Reputation

1. Many different celebrities were targeted by fake news campaigns designed to

discredit them
a. The celebrity death hoax is an example of fake news proliferation
that everyone is familiar with, but it’s not the only type of false stories
that are written about the stars. Many different celebrities were
targeted by fake news campaigns designed to discredit them. (Jain,
The Negative Impact Of Fake News, 2018)

Conclusion

(Monroe’s Motivated Sequence  Action)

I. Now, after analyzing the consequences of sharing fake news, we may get the idea of my
first question “Fake news: a hoax or a global problem?”. The answer is both of them. It
depends on how we react to fake news.

II. Reading is hard, but sharing is easy. Many users will share stories based on a headline or
image without having digested it in detail themselves.

III. The point is to check before you share! Take the extra few seconds to look over the
source, or go read the article in full to make sure the title accurately reflects the content
and that the site is reputable. Remember that sharing a lie makes you a liar.

Updated: 3 September 2018 Created by ELC590 Resource Team

 References

1. How & why to avoid sharing fake news. (16, December 16). Retrieved November 2018, 20,
from ConnectSafely.org: https://www.connectsafely.org/fake-news-tips-from-connectsafely/
2. What we’ve learnt about fake news in Africa. (2018, November 12). Retrieved November 20,
2018, from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46138284
3. Jain, L. (2018, March 9). The Negative Impact Of Fake News. Retrieved November 20, 2018,
from FemaleFirst: https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle/he-negative-impact-of-fake-news-
1133377.html
4. Lee, T. B. (2016, November 16). The top 20 fake news stories outperformed real news at the
end of the 2016 campaign. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from Vox:
https://www.vox.com/new-money/2016/11/16/13659840/facebook-fake-news-chart
5. MIKKELSON, D. (2018, February 25). Are Cadbury Products Contaminated with HIV?
Retrieved November 20, 2018, from Snopes : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cadbury-hiv-
arrest/
6. TEMMING, M. (2018, September 18). Scientists enlist computers to hunt down fake news.
Retrieved November 25, 2018, from Science News for Students:
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/scientists-enlist-computers-hunt-down-fake-
news

Updated: 3 September 2018 Created by ELC590 Resource Team