Be aware: This is a tweet from an actual doctor/expert in emergency medicine. It was subsequently copied and pasted by troll accounts as part of a "joke" that was actually intended to discredit the reality of the Delta surge and spread confusion.

https://twitter.com/EM_RESUS/status/1418326847671128064

Screenshots of these identical tweets -- with the timestamp cut off -- are now circulating along with the false claim that they were all posted at the same time by some kind of astroturf bot network promoting unwarranted COVID precautions. This is a dangerous lie.

#Teachers: The false viral claim that a photo of locked mailboxes at a post office in Burbank, Calif. is evidence of an attempt to suppress votes is a great opportunity to engage students around questions of authenticity, evidence and verification. First, share these tweets & ask students if they are strong evidence for the claim (that the Trump administration is interfering w access to mailboxes). Then ask for the reasons behind Ss' answers: Why is/isn't this evidence? What questions do we need answered to know for sure?

#Teachers: You can use this false tweet that went viral last week (apparently as a joke, though it tricked lots of people) to challenge your students' digital verification skills. How? Lemme show you. The tweet used a video clip of Malaysian military personnel putting up a razor wire barrier near Kuala Lumpur to falsely claim (apparently as a joke) that British soldiers were preparing for an "anti 5G and Lockdown and pro-Brexit protest from patriots" in London.

.@Facebook: If you are truly cracking down on "harmful misinformation" about COVID-19 miracle cures, why isn't there a clear option for reporting it? Which options in your reporting menus should people select to report these kinds of posts? Let's say a post is promoting a potentially lethal "cure" for COVID-19. It's not nudity, violence or harassment; not really someone threatening self-harm; it's not spam, an unauthorized sale, hate speech or terrorism; & it's not incorrect voting info. It must be "Something Else"

#Teachers: If you're trying to help students make sense of @ABC's false use of gun range footage in a report on Sunday about violence in Syria, here are some pointers: 1. Don't be cynical: Despite the online rantings of bad-faith partisans, there is no evidence that this was intentional nor ideologically-motivated. The conflict in Syria is highly newsworthy & the motivation here was almost certainly to get a sensational, great-for-TV clip.

I searched "should I get my child vaccinated?" on YouTube (signed out, in a privacy browser) and the "Up Next" suggestion algorithm queued up an anti-vaccination video after just one click. From there things didn't get better. Here's my "rabbit hole" path: Teachers: This is a great #newsliteracy learning experience for your students. Pick a trending or controversial topic, do a neutral, good-faith search about it, and see where YouTube's algorithm takes you, documenting and reflecting as you go.

#Teachers: Here's a thread laying out how to create a digital forensics learning pathway using this false quote meme featuring Denzel Washington that recirculated last week: Before you get students started on their digital forensics work, you might point out the misinformation pattern it fits. This rumor has gone viral three separate times: first during the 2016 campaign, then again after Washington was nominated for an Oscar in February 2018, and...

Thread: #Teachers: Here's a quick demo of how to use an example of misinformation as a digital forensics learning pathway with students. Let's start with this piece of inflammatory clickbait, published under the pretense of satire by Daily World Update: archive.is/PtWFV Drill down on that lead image of people in the trucks using a reverse image search, and you'll find examples of the image that include the license plate on the truck. Like this one: