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The Sift® newsletter

RumorGuard examples

Oct. 28, 2024

 

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Note:

These slides are designed to be delivered to students in �slideshow mode.

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Rumor #1

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A viral social media post claims to show former President Jimmy Carter casting his vote in the 2024 election while lying in a bed.

The claim

But this video is being presented out of context.

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Wait, the text claims that Carter is voting, but he’s outside. What’s going on here?

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An image, video, quote or other piece of content presented in a new, false context that changes its meaning.

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Key term: False context

So the video is real, but it isn’t being accurately described in the post.

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Let’s put this video back into context.

Practice:

A reverse image search is a good tool to put content back into its original context. Remember:

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  1. For videos, it is necessary to take a screenshot before performing this search.
  2. Look for results from credible news sources.

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Let’s put this video back into context.

Practice:

A reverse image search is a good tool to put content back into its original context. Remember:

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  • For videos, it is necessary to take a screenshot before performing this search.
  • Look for results from credible news sources.

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Rumor #2

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A social media post presents an image appearing to show Dominion Voting Systems’ logo as evidence that the company is tampering with votes.

The claim

But this isn’t the real logo or slogan for Dominion Voting.

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A social media post presents an image appearing to show Dominion Voting Systems’ logo as evidence that the company is tampering with votes.

The claim

But this isn’t the real logo or slogan for Dominion Voting.

Something about this feels off…

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What makes this claim suspicious?

Practice:

The claim here is pretty sensational. It probably warrants extra scrutiny.

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Do I trust this source? Why didn’t they include a link?

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What makes this claim suspicious?

Practice:

The idea that the “truth” is hidden in plain sight via secretive clues is a key component of conspiratorial thinking.

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Would someone trying to steal an election really leave behind a trail of obvious clues?

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Visiting Dominion Voting Systems’ website or social media profiles are good places to start looking for the company’s logo.

Investigate: Check the source

If I want to find Dominion Voting’s real logo, where should I look?

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Twitter bio

Altered logo

How do these two logos compare?

Practice:

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Twitter bio

Altered logo

The genuine logo doesn’t have a blue ballot at the bottom.

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The claim

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Discussion question

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Both of these social media posts deal with false claims related to the 2024 presidential election. Have you encountered similar claims online?

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The claim

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Takeaways

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  • False claims about election fraud are common online. But in reality, voter fraud is exceedingly rare.

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  • Election fraud does happen, but it has historically involved individual people, not large organizations.

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  • Expect to see more claims about voter fraud circulating during this election season. Remember to be cautious and critically examine these posts.

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These exercises originated in the Oct. 28, 2024, issue of The Sift® newsletter from the News Literacy Project. You can read archives of the newsletter and subscribe here.

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newslit.org

Follow us at @NewsLitProject

Thank you!

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