Fake news and media literacy

Reporting and Impersonal Constructions

Dutch news uses impersonal constructions to report information without naming sources directly.

"Er wordt gezegd dat..." (It is said that...) uses the impersonal passive with er:

Er wordt gezegd dat de minister aftreedt. — It is said that the minister is resigning.

"Het schijnt dat..." (It seems/appears that...) introduces unconfirmed information:

Het schijnt dat er meer slachtoffers zijn. — It appears there are more victims.

"Volgens bronnen..." (According to sources...) attributes information:

Volgens betrouwbare bronnen is het waar. — According to reliable sources, it is true.

The word er has multiple uses in Dutch (existential, locative, prepositional, passive). In "Er wordt gezegd", it serves as a placeholder subject in the impersonal passive — there is no real subject performing the action.

To express skepticism: "Het is nog niet bewezen dat..." (It has not yet been proven that...) or "We moeten de feiten controleren" (We need to check the facts).

Media literacy vocabulary is essential at B1 level for discussing current events critically.