Summary

News about food safety can be hard to keep straight. That’s been complicated by a little-known tactic used by the food and beverage industry to influence what we eat and drink through social media, the subject of a joint investigation by The Washington Post and The Examination. John Yang speaks with Washington Post health columnist Anahad O’Connor, who worked on the investigation, to learn more.

For a transcript, click here.

News wrap alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Warm up questions

• Who conducted the joint investigation into the influence of the food and beverage industry on registered dietitians?
• What did the World Health Organization's statement about aspartame's potential to cause cancer in humans lead to this summer?
• When did the food and beverage industry begin to use social media?
• Why has the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics faced criticism in the past?
• Where did the investigation find that dietitians were posting ads on behalf of food and beverage companies?

Focus questions

How might this influence the dietary choices and health decisions of the people who follow these dietitians on platforms like TikTok and Instagram?

Media literacy: How can individuals critically evaluate health and dietary information they come across on social media to ensure it's trustworthy and unbiased?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?

For more

What students can do: Discuss as a class — What are some ways to avoid being fooled by ads disguised as social media posts?

Check out this video from MediWise's Teen Fact-checking Network on how to spot hidden ads:

You can also find a whole lesson based on the video here.

Did you know this is Media Literacy Week? Learn more tips and tools for understanding how what you see online might not be what it appears to be with our resources here.

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning.