The Sift: Special issue: Fact-checking quiz

March 3, 2025
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Hi there,

Welcome to this special issue of The Sift, brought to you by News Literacy Project misinformation expert and RumorGuard® writer Dan Evon.

As a Sift reader, you’re likely familiar with our RumorGuard examples and the RumorGuard teaching slides Dan creates each week. Below you’ll find a fact-checking quiz he made for you and your students that has three examples of misinformation on social media and asks quiz-takers to spot red flags. 🚩

We’ve noticed you’ve enjoyed past Sift quizzes — like this AI quiz and this misinformation quiz — which you can now find in NLP’s Resource Library. Interested in more quizzes? Feel free to respond to this email with any news literacy quiz topics you’re interested in, and we will consider it!😊

Also, The Sift is taking a break next week due to a staff retreat, but we will be back in your inbox on March 17.

— The Sift team

Quiz students on fact-checking skills

While it is important for social media users to know the skills to verify the content in their feeds, they first need to learn how to identify which claims need fact-checking. When should we be skeptical of a viral post? When should we be confident that accurate information is being shared with us?

Try out the new fact-checking quiz below to see how good your students are at spotting red flags that often accompany viral misinformation. Click on the questions or answers and an interactive version of this six-question quiz will open in a new browser tab. Students can take the quiz individually, in small groups or together as a class to prompt discussion.

Have students refer to the News Literacy Project’s “In brief: Misinformation” and “Detecting tricks of context” infographics to help answer these quiz questions. NLP’s “Is it legit? Five steps for vetting a news source” infographic may be helpful too.

QUESTION 1

Review this social media post, then answer the question below.

A screenshot of a social media post on Feb. 17, 2025, from an account called Breaking911, falsely says, “BREAKING: Mitch McConnell has died at the age of eighty-two” alongside a photo of McConnell’s face.

What aspects of this social media post raise concerns about the claim’s validity? Select two that apply.

◯ The post comes from an unfamiliar or unofficial source.
◯ The claim involves an image that is obviously AI-generated.
◯ The claim includes contradictory statements.
◯ The claim is not accompanied by any evidence or a link to a credible news source.

QUESTION 2

Consider the social media post from Question 1 again. We’ve identified that it is suspicious. What should our next steps be to fact-check this claim? Select two that apply.

◯ Like and retweet the content, asking your own followers if it’s true.
◯ Click the account’s profile to try to get more information about the source.
◯ Plug terms from the post – such as “Mitch McConnell” and “dead” – into a search engine.
◯ Use a reverse image search to find where the photo came from.

QUESTION 3

Review this social media post, then answer the question below.

A screenshot of a social media post from an account called Readyformarriage falsely claims that soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo proposed to his girlfriend, alongside an AI-generated image of Ronaldo on his knee with a ring in his hand, looking at a happy woman in formal wear.

This AI-generated image shows soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo proposing to his girlfriend. What signs indicate that this image is AI-generated? List all the clues that you see.

QUESTION 4

While AI-generated content can still be detected through visual clues, it’s becoming more challenging as AI tools become more sophisticated. Consider the Ronaldo proposal post again. Aside from a visual inspection, what other ways could you determine that it is fake? Select all that apply.

◯ Look for news reports about this engagement from credible sources.
◯ Check Cristiano Ronaldo’s social media feed to see if he announced it.
◯ Use a reverse image search to see if the image has been published elsewhere.
◯ Check the credibility of the account sharing the content.
◯ All of the above.

QUESTION 5

Review this social media post, then answer the question below.

A social media post from @Old_Santa_Claus says “So much for free speech” alongside a screenshot of a post falsely credited to Elon Musk that says: “Anyone protesting the Trump Administration will be suspended from X. All anti-Trump drama can go to a liberal echo chamber like Threads, Reddit, BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook.”

What aspects of this social media post raise concerns about the authenticity and validity of its claim? Select three that apply.

◯ The post comes from an unfamiliar or suspicious source.
◯ The post includes a screenshot of a social media post, but it doesn’t link to the post.
◯ The post contains a verified symbol and has a lot of engagement.
◯ The post includes partisan and inflammatory claims meant to spark outrage.

QUESTION 6

Consider the social media post from Question 5 again. Which of the following steps would help you fact-check it? Select three that apply.

◯ Go to the alleged source, Elon Musk’s X account, and search for the post.
◯ Go to a search engine and search for keywords from the alleged post.
◯ Share the post in a quote tweet while asking your followers if it is authentic.
◯ Click the account profile and assess if they are a credible source.

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Thanks for reading!

Your weekly issue of The Sift is created by Susan Minichiello (@susanmini.bsky.social), Dan Evon (@danieljevon), Peter Adams (@peteradams.bsky.social), Hannah Covington (@hannahcov.bsky.social) and Pamela Brunskill (@PamelaBrunskill). It is edited by Mary Kane (@mk6325.bsky.social) and Lourdes Venard (@lourdesvenard.bsky.social).

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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