Walk-through slides
March 16, 2026
“Images of U.S. soldiers being captured
in Iran are AI-generated”
FALSE
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Note:
These slides are designed to be delivered to students in slideshow mode.
Some slides contain speaker notes with additional context, links and information.
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The claim
A social media post claims that a series of images show U.S. soldiers captured in Iran.
While these images may look genuine at first glance, they are AI-generated. Let’s look at the facts.
FALSE
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Let’s take a careful look at this post. Do you notice anything suspicious?
FALSE
The repetitive use of “Breaking” and all the alert symbols feel like overkill.
And who took these photos? They seem too clean – polished and perfect.
And what is this symbol? I think I’ve seen it before.
A closer look
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A quick check for a watermark is a good way to suss out AI-generated content. This symbol is for Google’s generative AI model Gemini.
FALSE
NewsLit tip
Watermarks for other AI models, such as Veo, Grok and Sora, are also common.
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Watermarks can be cropped out of AI images, so don’t expect to find one on all AI-generated content.
FALSE
If this symbol weren’t here, how else could you investigate this claim?
These images appear to show a pretty newsworthy event.
I should check if there is any news coverage from a standards-based source about this claim.
A closer look
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If an image appears to show a newsworthy event, check to see if there is news coverage.
Remember, a lack of supporting evidence – like news coverage of a major event – is a good reason to be skeptical.
FALSE
NewsLit tip
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When there is a major news story or a big trending topic, you should expect false claims and fabricated content to circulate about it online.
What can you do to prevent yourself from falling for these kinds of false claims?
FALSE
Discussion
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These exercises originated in the March. 16, 2026, 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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