Iowa State University’s Greenlee School of Journalism and psychology graduate students are teaming up to lead a virtual event about fake news and what people should do about it. The workshop will be from 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.

The Ames Public Library will host the event, titled Facing Facts: The Truth About Fake News and What To Do About It. Experts will discuss the role of journalists, how its audiences can avoid fake news and more. Graduate students in psychology will teach about the subconscious power of fake news and how our brains operate under it.

Participants will break out into small, facilitated groups to apply the knowledge they learn. Those registered will receive primer material to enhance the understanding of the discussion.

Fake news is defined as “news stories that are false, fabricated and without verifiable facts and sources,” according to the University of Michigan’s library website.

According to a source provided to registrants prior to the workshop, fake news and bias often happens because of ignorance of media consumers.

“We’re quite good at ignoring, forgetting or never learning inconvenient information. This is where social media echo chambers, political polarization, science denial and media bias come from,” decision scientist Russell Golman said, as reported by mindful.org.

There are many things consumers can do to verify their sources, like fact checking dates and authors before they share the source. This can prevent the spread of misinformation, especially during election seasons.

“During the election, the 20 top fake news stories were more popular than major outlets’ top 20 real news stories,” according to mindful.org.

This virtual workshop will provide its audience information on fake news and how to combat it. The registration for the workshop closes at 2 p.m. Saturday.