A new classroom resource from RumorGuard, the News Literacy Project’s platform dedicated to exploring viral misinformation trends, teaches students how to think like a fact-checker and spot common tactics used to spread falsehoods online.  

As concerns grow about the information young people are exposed to on their phones and in their social feeds, this valuable resource offers educators real-world examples they can use to teach students critical thinking skills, including how to identify credible sources.  

RumorGuard Report: Don’t Be Fooled helps students analyze an example of viral misinformation. First, students pick an entry from RumorGuard.org, which curates fact-checks and provides tips to build news literacy skills. After choosing the rumor, students summarize its main points, read a related fact-check from a third-party source, and reflect on the verification process used by journalists to determine the accuracy of claims. 

A related activity asks students to choose an article from a fact-checking site and identify the steps the journalist took to confirm or debunk the featured claim. Then, students reflect on how they can verify information when they encounter a viral post on their own.  

Designed for grades 6 and up, the activities help students recognize common tactics used to mislead people online and think critically about the content they encounter in their digital lives. Research shows that this approach, sometimes called “prebunking,” can help people build resilience against misinformation.  

Students can complete the activity on their own, in pairs or in groups. It also is well-suited for lessons on digital literacy, media literacy, digital citizenship, journalism and more. 

The American Association of School Librarians has named RumorGuard™, NLP’s platform that debunks viral rumors, one of its Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning.

Every year the AASL honors digital tools that foster innovation and collaboration, encourage exploration and participation, are user-friendly and offer information and references. Also recognized are Brown University’s Choices Programs, Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform and National Geographic Society Educator Resources.

In October 2022, NLP launched RumorGuard, its first platform specifically for the public. RumorGuard debunks social media rumors based on five factors that help people determine the credibility of sources and information. It also provides news literacy takeaways for each post. And RumorGuard email alerts empower the public to help push back against mis- and disinformation.

While RumorGuard can be useful to all, NLP is the national leader in news literacy programs and resources for educators to use in the classroom. NLP also offers professional learning events, an online community of peers and a newsletter that covers the latest topics in news literacy. All resources and programs are free.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association, empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.

The News Literacy Project is encouraging everyone to push back against misinformation with its new platform, RumorGuard, which helps you know what’s safe to share and which rumors should be stopped in their tracks. It cites topical viral rumors and lays out exactly how the public can determine that a claim doesn’t hold weight, based on five factors for credibility.

The RumorGuard homepage.

Exploring RumorGuard

The platform covers all types of misinformation and categorizes it by topic, from manipulated content or engagement bait to pressing issues like climate change and politics.

Filter viral rumors by news literacy topics like false context.

NLP also built RumorGuard as the foundation for a common future founded on facts. The platform goes beyond traditional fact-checking and source verification by using debunked hoaxes, memes and other misinformation as the starting point for learning news literacy skills.

The five factors

Each RumorGuard post takes readers through the facts behind a specific viral rumor, then breaks down the five factors that can be used to verify any claim:

1. Authenticity: Is it authentic?
2. Source: Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source?
3. Evidence: Is there evidence that proves the claim?
4. Context: Is the context accurate?
5. Reasoning: Is it based on solid reasoning?

This rumor failed to pass three of the five credibility factors: Authenticity, source, and evidence.

These factors connect users with sources and opportunities for learning and strengthening news literacy skills.

Learn and practice techniques to check reasoning.

NLP also encourages everyone to join the RumorGuard and act for facts by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, which debunks viral rumors. Then, share what you’ve learned with the wider community.

All of us can become well-informed and learn the skills to stay well-informed with RumorGuard, the newest addition to NLP’s comprehensive news literacy resources.