Inspire Team

Mis/Disinformation Detectives

by for .  
#building digital skills
60 - 75
1

Goal

The Mis/disinformation Detectives activity is designed to equip learners with the skills to identify misinformation and disinformation online. Through quizzes, discussions, and a hands-on activity, learners will explore the impact of sensationalized news, share personal experiences with misinformation and disinformation, and practice detecting misinformation/disinformation. The activity also introduces tools like Snopes and emphasizes critical thinking when evaluating news sources.

This activity involves a lot of discussion. Discussion questions are italicized, and in some cases, possible responses to those questions are bulleted below the question (to be used by the facilitator when leading the discussion). 

Materials

    Instructions

    1. Activation: Before starting the activity, ask learners if they’ve ever encountered fake, misleading or biased information online.

      1. What was that experience like?

      2. How did they know the information wasn’t real or accurate?

      3. How did discovering the misinformation impact your trust in online information?

    2. Review definitions of misinformation and disinformation with the learners.

      1. Disinformation: false information that is deliberately intended to mislead. It is sometimes called “fake news

      2. Misinformation: false information that is shared without the intention of misleading

    3. Misinformation Quiz:

      1. Begin with a quiz assessing learners' susceptibility to misinformation.

        1. University of Cambridge Misinformation Susceptibility Test

      2. Discuss quiz results, focusing on the prevalence and impact of misinformation.

        1. Were there any questions in the quiz that made you pause or question your usual online behaviors?

        2. Did any of the quiz results surprise you?

        3. Was the quiz easy or hard?

    4. Discussion: Sensationalized News:

      1. Engage learners in a discussion about sensationalized news and its rapid spread online.

        1. Have you ever come across news that seemed exaggerated or sensationalized. What was your initial reaction?

        2. What are some of the reasons people, businesses or groups might purposefully distort the truth?

          1. Agendas: Serving personal, political, or organizational interests.

          2. Influence: Shaping public opinion or behavior.

          3. Power: Gaining an advantage or maintaining control.

          4. Profit: Generating financial gains.

          5. Ideology: Advancing a specific narrative or belief system.

          6. Attention: Generating attention

        3. Where are you most likely to see distorted or inaccurate information?

          1. Social media platforms

          2. Online news websites

          3. Tabloid newspapers

          4. Advertising and sponsored content

          5. User generated content platforms (i.e. forums, comments sections, etc…)

        4. Why would distorted information show up in some places more than others?

          1. Clickbait: Platforms seeking higher engagement may prioritize sensationalized content.

          2. Competition for attention: Crowded online spaces may encourage the use of exaggerated or misleading headlines.

          3. Algorithmic bias: Social media algorithms can amplify sensational content for increased visibility (i.e. the more something is viewed or clicked on, the more it shows up for others)

          4. Lack of editorial oversight: User-generated platforms may have less editorial control, allowing misinformation to spread.

        5. How does the structure of these platforms contribute to the phenomenon?

          1. Instantaneous Sharing: Social media enables rapid dissemination of information, both accurate and inaccurate.

          2. Lack of Fact-Checking: Some platforms may lack robust fact-checking mechanisms, allowing misinformation to circulate unchecked.

          3. Anonymity and User-Generated Content: Online forums and comments allow anonymous posting, making it easier to spread false information without accountability.

    5. Small Group Activity - Creating Headlines:

      1. Before starting the activity, ask learners what they think makes a headline catchy or attention-grabbing.

        1. What makes you likely to click on something?

        2. What makes it unlikely you’ll click on something to read more?

      2. Divide learners into small groups.

      3. Instruct each group to choose a local news event and create two headlines: one accurate and one sensationalized or untrue, but believable.

        1. Encourage groups to use regional news sites for inspiration.

        2. Reminder learners to use the insights they gained on what makes a headline catchy as they craft their headlines.

    6. Mis/disinformation detection

      1. Each group presents their two headlines to the larger group.

      2. Ask the learners to decide which accurate and which one is not.

      3. Ask the learners which headlines they’d be more likely to click on and open than the other.

      4. Ask the group who created the headlines - how did they decide where to draw the line between attracting interest and crossing into misinformation?

        1. Use this as an opportunity to emphasize the fine line between attracting interest and maintaining accuracy in news headlines.

      5. Reflect on the difficulty the larger group faced in determining accuracy.

        1. What factors contributed to the challenge?

    7. Introduction to Tools:

      1. Ask learners if they’ve ever used online tools to fact check information. If yes, which ones and how did it go?

      2. Introduce online tools like Snopes, TinEye, Media Smarts, etc., that help decipher real and fake news.

        1. Do a demonstration with learners to showcase how the tools can work.

      3. Discuss how these tools can be valuable in verifying information.

        1. How might using these tools change the way you approach information online?

        2. When might they not be effective in identifying misinformation?

          1. Challenges with identifying misinformation from more rural, remote and Northern areas.

          2. Attention is paid to more mainstream news.

    8. Tips for Deciphering News:

      1. Ask learners what tips they have for deciphering real news from fake news. Ensure they come to understand the importance of:

        1. Checking multiple sources.

        2. Verifying the author and publication.

        3. Looking for bias and considering the viewpoint.

        4. Identifying missing information.

      2. Helpful information to ask yourself when looking at any piece of information:

        1. Who wrote this?

        2. Who benefits from this?

        3. Who is missing from this?

        4. Who stands to lose because of this?

    Background

    Preparation

    • Ensure the link for the misinformation susceptibility quiz is active, or find another quiz online that serves the same function.

    • Compile a list of sensationalized news examples for discussion. Examples from the local, territorial, national and international stage are helpful.

    • Familiarize yourself with online tools like Snopes, TinEye, and Media Smarts.

    Technology Considerations

    If virtual:

    • Ensure learners have access to the virtual platform.

    • Facilitate breakout rooms for small group discussions.


    Additional Context

    This activity is particularly relevant in the era of digital communication, where misinformation can spread rapidly, impacting public perception and decision-making.

    Tips for Localization

    • Encourage learners to bring examples of local misinformation, making the activity more relevant to their community context.

    • Bring in examples from your own community or region as the facilitator, to help the learners make connections to misinformation at a more localized level.


    Debrief Questions

    • Why is it important to think carefully when checking where your news comes from?

    • What actions can we take to help people in our community better understand digital information and avoid falling for false stories?

    • Why is it important for a business or community organization to have these skills around misinformation detection?

    • How did making exaggerated headlines affect how you see if news is accurate or not?

    • What problems did you run into when trying to tell the difference between true and exaggerated headlines?

    • How can the tools we talked about help you get better at figuring out what's true and what's not online?

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