False headlines. Exaggerated claims. Fishy-looking photos. If you’re not careful, the internet can serve up a tangle of misinformation. Watch these short videos and learn to sort fact from fiction, sidestep online scams and stop the spread of misinformation.
Where’s That Photo From? Identify the Source
Each year, unsuspecting victims lose millions of dollars to online fraud. One scam involves using a stolen profile photo of a military veteran and soliciting cash and gifts from sympathetic victims. This video will help you determine whether a person online is real with a technique called reverse image search.
Can You Spot Misinformation?
Jennifer Connell was called the “Worst Aunt Ever” on Twitter after she sued her cousin’s son over a broken wrist. The story, full of misinformation and inaccuracies, went viral. This short video shows how to fact-check a sensational story using a technique called lateral reading.
How to Fact-Check History
How do we distinguish between “bad facts” and “bad narratives” when critiquing media sources? This lesson and its accompanying seven-minute video introduce students to a professional fact-checker, who describes the methods and processes he employs to verify information that appears in news stories.
Civics Skills: Strategies for Analyzing Challenging Texts
Learn how to approach a complex topic – in this case, housing discrimination – by sharpening skills in annotation and analysis. The student in this short video breaks down the process step by step, offering tips on how to navigate tricky topics with confidence.
