Lesson 5: Verification, Data, and Deepfakes | Perspective 2

Introduction

Pause before you pass it on.

The share button is the single most powerful tool for spreading misinformation. Every time someone shares without checking, they add their social credibility to something that may be false, out of date, or missing critical context.

Four questions to ask before sharing anything: Is it recent? Who is the original source? What is the full context? Does the data actually support the claim?

These checks take thirty seconds and prevent a large proportion of accidental misinformation. They are not about distrust: they are about care.

Verification Steps

Four checks before sharing

1

Check the date

Old content resurfaces constantly. A photo from 2015 can appear in 2026 attached to a completely different story. Check when it was originally published or taken.

2

Find the original source

Most shared content is a copy of a copy. Use reverse image search, read to the end for citations, or search for the underlying study or event directly.

3

Check the context

Real photos and real quotes are regularly attached to false contexts. A photo of a real flood can be labelled as a different country or time. A real quote can be presented as referring to a different topic.

4

Read the data carefully

A graph can show real numbers while being deliberately misleading: a truncated Y-axis makes small differences look enormous. Absolute vs percentage framing changes the story. Always check what the axes actually say.

Synthetic Media

Recognising deepfakes and manipulated media

AI-generated images, videos, and audio are increasingly indistinguishable from real material. The technology continues to improve. However, several cues remain useful for detection.

Visual cues in images

Unnatural skin texture, inconsistent lighting on different parts of the face, distorted backgrounds near the edges of a person's outline, blurred or irregular teeth and hair edges, and asymmetrical facial features that shift slightly across multiple frames.

Audio cues

Unnatural pauses, slightly robotic prosody, inconsistency between lip movement and sound (in video), or a voice that does not quite match the speaker's known vocal patterns.

Contextual checks

Does this content appear on any verified news source? Was it published by an account with a track record? Does anything about the claim seem implausible given what you know about the subject? Absence of corroboration from multiple independent sources is itself a signal.

The most reliable check: If a video, audio clip, or image would be significant news, ask whether multiple trusted outlets are reporting it. Real significant events get covered from multiple directions. Synthetic content typically appears from a single origin and is not corroborated.

Quick Checks

Test your understanding

Answer each question correctly to unlock the next one.

Q1. A graph shows that sales rose dramatically, but the Y-axis starts at 95 instead of 0. What should you be alert to?

A Nothing. Starting the Y-axis at 95 is standard practice.

B The sales data may be fabricated.

C The graph may be using a truncated axis to make a small change look dramatic. Always check where the Y-axis starts before drawing conclusions from the visual.

D The graph is only valid if the data is from a government source.

Q2. A viral photo shows a crowd gathering in front of a government building. The caption claims it was taken yesterday. What is the most important check to perform?

A Look for high follower counts on the account that posted it.

B Run a reverse image search to check whether the photo has appeared before with a different date, location, or caption.

C Ask whether the post has been shared more than 10,000 times.

D Check whether the image quality is high enough to be professional.

Q3. A headline says "Crime rose 400% in the city." The article reveals this means it went from 5 incidents to 25. Is the headline accurate?

A Yes. 400% is mathematically correct and the headline is informative.

B Yes. Percentage increases are always the most meaningful framing.

C Technically correct but misleading. A 400% percentage increase sounds alarming but only represents 20 additional incidents from a tiny baseline. The absolute number provides essential context.

D No. Percentage increases should never be used in crime reporting.

Q4. A video shows a well-known politician saying something shocking. You cannot find any other news outlets covering the story. What does this suggest?

A The mainstream media is suppressing the story.

B It is true but only just published. Wait 10 minutes and check again.

C The absence of corroboration is a significant warning. If something truly significant was said, multiple credible outlets would be covering it. Investigate before sharing.

D Smaller accounts always break stories before mainstream outlets.

Q5. What is the most reliable personal check against sharing a deepfake video?

A Check whether the video is high resolution.

B Check whether the person in the video sounds confident.

C Check whether the account that posted it has a long history.

D Ask whether the claim would be significant enough to appear in multiple independent, credible news sources. If it would and they are not covering it, something is wrong.

Mini-Game

Tools Race

Each post needs a verification tool. Match the right tool to each scenario. Score at least 4 out of 6 to pass.

Progress: 1 / 6 Score: 0

Practice Round

Five more questions

Apply what you have learned. Each question unlocks after the previous answer.

Question 1 of 5

You see a post saying "new study shows coffee cures cancer." The post does not link to the study. What should you do before sharing?

A Share it if it comes from a health-focused account.

B Share it. The claim is hopeful and unlikely to cause harm.

C Search for the study directly. Check the journal, the methodology, and whether the claim accurately represents what the study found. "Cures" is almost never what studies find.

D Check how many likes the post has received.

Question 2 of 5

A graph shows that vaccine uptake and autism rates rose in the same period. The presenter says this proves vaccines cause autism. What is wrong with this reasoning?

A Nothing. If two things rise together, one likely causes the other.

B Correlation is not causation. Two trends rising together does not mean one causes the other. Many unrelated things rise at the same time. Causation requires controlled study, not shared trends.

C The graph is probably fabricated.

D Graphs are not a valid form of evidence for medical claims.

Question 3 of 5

A news article quotes a politician correctly but presents the quote as referring to a current controversy, when it was actually said years ago about a completely different situation. Is this misinformation?

A No. The quote is real, so the article is accurate.

B Yes. Accurate words in a false context constitute misinformation. The context determines meaning. Stripping it away and reattaching it elsewhere is a form of deception.

C Only if the article is from an outlet known for fabrication.

D No. Politicians' past words always apply to current situations.

Question 4 of 5

An article reports that a drug reduced deaths by 50%. You later discover this means the death rate went from 0.02% to 0.01%. How does this change your interpretation?

A It does not. A 50% reduction is a 50% reduction regardless of the baseline.

B It suggests the drug is not effective.

C It is significant context. Relative risk reduction can look large even when absolute reduction is tiny. Both figures are needed to understand the real-world significance of the finding.

D It does not matter. Only percentage figures are meaningful in medical reporting.

Question 5 of 5

You see a video that appears to show a world leader making a controversial statement. The claim would be major international news. No credible outlet is covering it. What is the most reasonable conclusion?

A The media is choosing not to cover it for political reasons.

B The video is probably too recent for any outlet to have covered it yet.

C The absence of corroboration from credible outlets is a strong signal that the video may be manipulated or miscontextualised. Wait for independent verification before drawing conclusions or sharing.

D The video is authentic if it was posted by a large account.

Reflection

Think it through

Think of a time you shared something that turned out to be misleading or out of date. Which of the four checks would have caught it? What would you do differently now?

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