Year 10 Media Arts · Responding — Analyse and Evaluate · 11m read

News, Misinformation and Media Literacy

In a world of viral posts and fake news, media literacy is a survival skill. Learn to check before you share.

Learning objective: Evaluate news media and identify misinformation.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can distinguish news, opinion and advertising.
• I can identify misinformation and disinformation.
• I can verify sources.

Fact-checking is a fire extinguisher. Misinformation spreads like fire — fast and hot. Fact-checking skills put it out before it spreads further.

Check before you share

NEWS VALUES:
• Timeliness, proximity, prominence, conflict, human interest.

NEWS vs OPINION vs SPONSORED CONTENT:
• Labelling and purpose differ.

MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION:
• Misinformation — false but not intended to deceive.
• Disinformation — deliberately false.

VERIFICATION:
• Lateral reading (check other sources), reverse image search, check the author and date, look for evidence.

| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Misinformation | False, shared without intent to harm |
| Disinformation | False, deliberately spread to deceive |
| Malinformation | True info shared to harm |
| Deepfake | AI-generated fake video/audio |
| Clickbait | Sensational headline to get clicks |
| Lateral reading | Checking other sources about a source |

Key ideas at a glance

• SIFT: Stop, Investigate source, Find better coverage, Trace claims.
• Read laterally: Open new tabs.
• Check images: Reverse image search.
• Pause before sharing: Emotion is a red flag.

Worked example (Medium)

How would you verify a shocking viral photo?

1. Reverse image search. Find the original source and date.
2. Lateral reading. Check reputable news sources.

Answer: Reverse image search and lateral reading.

Worked example (Hard)

A viral post claims "Schools to be closed all winter". Verify.

1. Stop. Don't share yet.
2. Investigate. Who posted? Anonymous page.
3. Find. Check the Department of Education and major news — no reports.
4. Trace. Original claim from a satire site.

Answer: Not credible — it originated as satire.

Common mistakes

• Sharing before checking Spreads falsehoods. Fix: Verify first.
• Trusting a professional-looking website Design can be faked. Fix: Check who runs it and other sources.

Deepfakes and AI

AI tools can now generate realistic fake images, voices and videos (deepfakes). Signs can include odd lighting, unnatural blinking, distorted hands or mismatched audio — but fakes are improving.

The best defence is checking the source and whether reputable outlets confirm it.

Practice questions

1. Deliberately false information is:

   1. Misinformation
   2. Disinformation
   3. Opinion
   4. Satire

   (1 marks)

2. What is lateral reading?

   (2 marks)

3. Disinformation is:

   1. Accidental error
   2. Deliberately false information
   3. True information
   4. A camera shot

   (1 marks)

4. Lateral reading means:

   1. Reading sideways
   2. Checking other sources about a source
   3. Reading only the headline
   4. Speed reading

   (1 marks)

5. Describe the SIFT method.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• News values.
• Mis- vs disinformation.
• Verify sources.
• SIFT and lateral reading beat misinformation.