The Sift: Confusion, rumors follow Charlie Kirk killing

Sept. 15, 2025

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An educator's guide to
the week in news literacy

In this issue

Charlie Kirk death | Press freedom declines | RumorGuard slides

Daily Do Now slides

Don't miss this week's classroom-ready resource.

Top picks

Here are the latest news literacy topics and tips on how to integrate them into your classroom.

An illustration of a smart phone with a search bar and the words “What happened?”

When breaking news hits, many turn to social media or chatbots.

1. Confusion online after Charlie Kirk’s death

After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a public event in Utah on Sept. 10, chaos immediately ensued online as people tried to stay informed.

Graphic raw footage of the shooting circulated on social media, and for many users this was how they first heard about it.
Standards-based news organizations cautiously shared updates and were careful not to share violent footage — but this story demonstrated how newsrooms’ traditional role as gatekeepers is diminishing.
Artificial intelligence chatbots added to the confusion. One bot, Perplexity, falsely claimed on X that Kirk was alive — the day after he died. Another bot, Grok, falsely claimed that footage of the shooting was not real.
AI-generated searches also gave false answers. Google’s AI overview falsely claimed Kirk was in a database of Ukrainian enemies.

🗒️ Note: News stories linked in this summary discuss graphic footage of gun violence.

💬 Discuss:

Why might there be confusion or misinformation online when news breaks?
What’s the difference between raw footage and news?
What steps can you take to verify information during breaking news events?

💡 Idea: Use the “Reflect” slide in Week 2 of the Daily Do Now resource to consider the limitations of AI overviews in search results.

⭐ NLP Resources:

“Help students navigate information about the Charlie Kirk shooting” (TikTok)
- Note: This NLP video is also available on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Infographic: “How to teach news literacy in polarizing times”
Infographic: “Breaking news checklist”

🔗 Related:

“With Few Facts About Kirk Shooting, Wild Speculation Abounds” (The New York Times).

2. Global press freedoms decline

Freedom of the press around the world has weakened to its lowest level in 50 years, according to a new study of 174 countries.

Countries with the largest decline in press freedom were Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Myanmar and South Korea.
The largest improvement: Chile, where legislation was drafted in 2021 to protect journalists.
The study also pointed to war zones where press freedoms have weakened — particularly in Gaza, where nearly 200 journalists have been killed during the Israel-Hamas war.

💬 Discuss:

How can countries restrict press freedom?
How can countries strengthen press freedom?
What role does a free press play in a democracy?

⭐ NLP Resource:

“Press Freedoms Around the World” (Checkology)

🔗 Related:

These classroom-ready slide decks provide a comprehensive walk-through on how to debunk false rumors.

No, AI robot didn’t get PTSD from lion encounter

A social media post includes an image that appears to show a robot next to a lion and a piece of text that reads, “Lion costs leading AI company half a million after risky experiment. In Africa, researchers pushed the limits of AI by sending their prototype robot face to in face with a lion. Before the trial, the machine had been prepped with hundreds of animal images and books on emotions. It could identify joy, sadness, anger, and fear. On paper, it was flawless. But the moment the lion appeared, the system broke down. The logs showed only: ‘Cat big. Scared.’” The News Literacy Project has added a label that says “AI VIDEO.”

❌ NO: This is not a credible story about a robot developing post-traumatic stress disorder and repeating “scared” more than 100 times after encountering a lion.

❌ NO: This still image is not from a genuine video of a robot encountering a lion.

✅ YES: The visuals accompanying this story were created with Veo 3, Google’s artificial intelligence generator.

⭐ NewsLit takeaway: Artificial intelligence tools can create near-photorealistic images and video that are getting harder to detect with the naked eye. View the Google Slides below for tips to root out these convincing fabrications.

Media didn’t describe Black murder suspect as having ‘dark white skin’

A social media post reads, “And yet another reason why you should NEVER trust the media” with a screenshot appearing to show a news broadcast about a suspect search with the description including “dark white skin.” The News Literacy Project has added a label that says “ALTERED IMAGE.”

❌ NO: This is not an authentic image of a Fox 8 News broadcast in the Cleveland area describing a Black murder suspect as having “dark white skin.”

✅ YES: This image was altered to add the words “dark white skin.”

✅ YES: This doctored image has been circulating on social media since 2017.

⭐ NewsLit takeaway: A common disinformation narrative aims to stir up racial discord by spreading false content that appears to show news outlets overreporting white crime while underplaying crimes committed by people of color. View the Google Slides below for tips on how to spot and debunk these manipulative claims.

➕ Is using AI cheating? It’s not so black-and-white. Educators and students are navigating the nebulous gray space of AI policies in the classroom.

➕ Business Insider, a news organization that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022, removed 40 articles from its website that were possibly AI-generated.

➕ Wellness influencers telling followers to detox with celery juice or quit using seed oils may seem harmless, but this New York Times opinion video explores how these tips can parlay into anti-healthcare conspiracy theories.

➕ One in four Latinos speak little to no Spanish — a group dubbed “No Sabo Kids.” A new podcast, The Moment, by former Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and his journalist daughter, Paola, seeks to reach this demographic.

➕ TikTok may be here to stay. The video sharing app has been in legal limbo, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a “framework” for a deal has been made with China.

➕ College students say holding prayer groups or working on the student newspaper can get them disciplined in Texas after a state law went into effect prohibiting speech on campuses during certain hours. Student groups are suing, citing First Amendment violations.

➡️ Don’t miss the First Amendment slides in Week 2 of the Daily Do Now resource. Constitution Day is coming up on Sept. 17.

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Your weekly issue of The Sift is created by Susan Minichiello, Dan Evon, Peter Adams, Hannah Covington and Pamela Brunskill. It is edited by Lourdes Venard and Mary Kane.

You’ll find teachable moments from our previous issues in the archives. Send your suggestions and success stories to [email protected].

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