UNIT 10 UNBELIEVABLE NEWS

• Protect yourself from misinformation and propaganda.

A lie gets halfway around the world before
the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
(W. Churchill statesman, Prime Minister of Great Britain)

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Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.
(Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propagandist.)
 What's the difference?

misinformation is incorrect or misleading information.

Disinformation is false information, deliberately and often
covertly spread, in order to influence public opinion, or
obscure the truth.

*If this seems confusing, try to think: “misinformation is

a mistake”, but “disinformation is deliberate.”
 Questions to ask when you encounter media:

• Does this content encourage an extreme reaction from you? (For example, if it makes you angry or
scared — that should be a red flag.)
• Who is the author or creator?
• Who is the target audience?
• What is the source of the information and what do you know about this source? (Are they a credible
journalist or organization or artificial intelligence? Do they have biases or an agenda?)
• What is the motivation for sharing this information?
• What qualifications do the experts included in the content have?
• Does the content provide evidence for what’s being said? (Does that evidence make sense?)
• Is the website URL legitimate?
• If content takes you to a website, how does it look? (For example, are there grammatical errors, words
in all caps, claims with no sources, or sensationalized images?)
• Is there anything missing from the message? (And if so, might it be important to include?)
• What makes you think this is credible?
• Is this content a joke? (Did it come from a humor website like The Onion, for example?)
 5 Ways to Verify Content

1. Sites like Snopes, FactCheck.org, Politifact.com, RealClear Politics, and Metabunk.org offer
places to start your search for the truth. Google and Wikipedia may provide information that
helps you clarify the story.
2. See who else is reporting the story and what they are saying. Are other well-known, credible
mainstream outlets reporting the story? If so, are they reporting it the same way with the same
information or video? If they aren’t, consider digging deeper into your research.
3. If you’re online, look at a site’s “About Us” and contact sections. Investigate who is behind
the site, who supports it, and who is associated with it. If you can see pictures of staff and
their accurate contact information is listed, that suggests the site may be more legitimate.
4. Look closely at images and their context. With artificial intelligence and editing software, it’s
easy to create images that look real but are fake. Not sure? Look for shadows on an image, or
jagged or blurred edges around figures in the pictures.
5. Practice critical thinking skills. Common Sense Media and Poynter Institute’s MediaWise
offer programming and advice to help teens become more critical and informed media
consumers.
• https://parentandteen.com/how-to-teach-teens-to-navigate-misinformation/
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/
fact-checking-tools-for-teens-and-tweens