If you didn’t fact-check this tweet from @JimDabakis, you might be a bit confused by the news that @MittRomney plans to vote on a Supreme Court nominee.
This tweet popped up hours after RBG died Friday. Did you question it using #medialiteracy?
Or you could’ve web searched to see if others confirmed that Romney committed to not voting. Dozens of news outlets reported he hadn’t yet made up his mind.
If you kept following Twitter, you would have seen Dabakis double down on the claim:
Fact checking can be really easy! When you verify the legitimacy of a controversial claim before sharing, you protect your followers from misinformation.
Next time you see a sketchy tweet with a big claim:
1) Go to primary sources
2) Search somewhere else
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🧵of tips to help you at the ballot box and scrolling social media today – specifically for those who are new to or nervous about voting. First of all, get excited! It’s every voter’s civic duty to participate in democracy. Take a deep breath. You got this! 💪 #ElectionDay
Want more info? vote411.org/select-state has state-specific details for voting, along with instructions on how to get a free ride to the polls from @lyft.
Tap into your local news outlets today. You’ll find specific information on voting rules, polling locations and everything else you need to know. Example, @TB_Times walks readers through voting in #TampaBay: tampabay.com/news/florida-p…
This morning, trusted news outlets confirmed that Russia attacked Ukraine. During any global crisis, you’ll see visceral images and videos on social media claiming to show bombing, tanks — military action. Now more than ever, you need to stop and ask @SHEG_Stanford’s 3 Q’s:
First, when you see a post like this one, ask yourself: Who shared it? Are they an expert? Are they biased toward one side of the conflict?
Go to their profile. Use quotes to search for exact matches for their name: “@WorldNewsWWIII”. The profile isn’t verified, and while it claims to be a news source — it’s been around for a month. DON’T SHARE.
The queen, my lord, is… not dead. Yesterday Twitter was abuzz after #HollywoodUnlocked published an “exclusive” claiming Queen Elizabeth II died. Good news: Several reputable news sources denied the claim. Bad news: This isn’t the last time we’ll see a celebrity death hoax🧵
We’re @MediaWise, and we teach people all over the world how to be smarter consumers of news and information online. Long story short, we know a thing or two about how to make sure the info you’re reading online is legit.
We figured now’s a good time to chat about how to assess breaking news about celebrity deaths responsibly. When you see a claim that someone famous/important/popular has died, WAIT IT OUT. These stories are enticing, but facts can often be distorted or left out.
The Knight Media Forum just started and ✌️ of our very own MediaWise ambassadors will be panelists today 👀 @JulioVaqueiro will be on a panel talking about misinfo in communities of color and @davejorgenson will be on another sharing his expertise on reaching the youth.
.@JulioVaqueiro became an ambassador this year as part of our efforts to help Spanish speakers confidently navigate their social media feeds. In a 10-day text message course, he and @jdbalart share key digital media literacy tips. poy.nu/verifica
.@davejorgenson has been with us for a couple of years now helping us connect with teens and college students. Here's a throwback to a TikTok we worked on together: tiktok.com/@mediawise/vid…
Right now you’re probably seeing hundreds of photos and videos from the chaotic scene on #CapitolHill at the #CapitolBuilding. Or are you?
When protestors began streaming into D.C. yesterday, an unverified Twitter account with less than 1,000 followers shared a photo claiming to show the action that racked up more than 14,000 RTs. It’s false.
It was ACTUALLY an image from the 2018 #MarchForOurLives protest. Using out-of-context pics is one way bad actors push disinformation out to thousands of social feeds during breaking news events. You could have figured that out right away with a reverse image search.
Social media is hitting a fever pitch about the lockdown at the #CapitolBuilding. Please STOP before you click retweet or re-share anything you see on this subject and ask yourself these 3 key questions to fact-check it and prevent yourself from sharing misinformation... (THREAD)
1. WHO IS BEHIND THE INFORMATION? Click on their bio. Are they an expert on the subject // verified? Why should you trust what they say? Any indications they have an agenda? Any bot-like activity on their account? If you have an extra sec, Google them. Any red flags?
2. WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE? What in their post proves to you what they are claiming is accurate? Be skeptical. Do they provide context? Social media rewards short form posts, if you don't have enough info in the post to answer this question, go on to question 3...