Exercises: Fake news and scams

Explain what fake news is and state two different reasons why someone might create and spread it.

A headline announces: "SCANDAL! Doctors hide the miracle cure of this plant". Point out at least three features of the headline typical of misinformation and explain what you would do before believing it.

The figure shows the recommended process to follow before believing or sharing a news story.

One of the steps is covered with a question mark. State which step is missing between "check the source" and the final decision, explain what it consists of, and reason why "sharing just in case" should never be the outcome.

Explain the difference between a hoax (a lie intentionally fabricated) and a journalistic error, and what you expect a reputable media outlet to do when it makes a mistake.

A video shows a celebrity saying something unbelievable, but the lip movements do not quite match the audio. Explain what a deepfake is, what other signs it might have, and what you would do with that video before sharing it.

Explain the difference between a news item, an ad and a meme. Can a meme "inform"? Reason about the danger of taking a meme as if it were news and what questions to ask yourself before believing it.

A headline claims: "A study proves that chocolate cures memory loss". Formulate four questions you would ask about this "study" (who conducted it, with how many people, where it was published, who funded it) and explain why "a study says so" is not enough.

Explain what news satire is (invented news with humorous intent), why it is sometimes taken as real, and what signs or labels help distinguish it from serious news.

A striking image of a flood is shared claiming to be from your town, when in reality it shows a disaster from ten years ago in another country. Explain how you would verify the real origin of the image and explain why a genuine image can also misinform if taken out of context.

Explain what fact-checkers are (such as PolitiFact or FactCheck.org in the US), how they work, and what step-by-step process you would follow with a doubtful news story using one of them.

A WhatsApp chain message claims that a common grocery store product causes cancer and asks users to forward it "just in case". Analyze the psychological mechanisms that make these chain messages go viral and what harm forwarding them can cause, even without bad intentions.

A WhatsApp voice note, allegedly recorded by a nurse, gives alarming advice about a disease. Nobody knows where it came from. Analyze why the relatable voice in an audio message gives false credibility, how you would try to verify its content, and what to do with that audio file.

An edited video of a teacher "saying" something they never said is circulating in the class group chat. Explain what damage it causes even if meant "as a joke," how you would check its authenticity, and what someone receiving it should do.

A technically true headline misleads: "The mayor does NOT rule out raising taxes". Analyze how misinformation can be spread by telling only truths, what difference there is between the facts and the headline, and what reading habit neutralizes this trap.

Scams follow the calendar: fake sales in January, fake travel operators in summer, fake prize winners at Christmas. Explain why scammers take advantage of these times of year and what specific precaution each of the three periods requires.

Compare three motivations of someone who creates misinformation (making money from clicks, defending an ideology, having fun causing chaos) and explain how the best way to combat each one changes.

A website designed to look like a newspaper mixes real news with made-up articles attacking a political party in the middle of an election campaign. Analyze what interests might lie behind this, why mixing truth and lies is more effective at deceiving than lying completely, and what three checks would expose the whole thing.

Two users search on the same social network for information about an environmental bill: one of them only sees alarmist posts denouncing an alleged conspiracy, while the other only gets news praising the measure without any criticism. Justify which algorithmic mechanisms have caused this information isolation, predict what impact it will have on their ability to engage in dialogue, and design a protocol of four specific technical actions (in account settings, history, and search habits) to break their "filter bubble".

Evaluate this statement: "if a fake news story doesn't affect me, sharing it is harmless". Build an argument against it by considering collective consequences (health, social harmony, people's reputations) and the responsibility of the person sharing it.

Design a "fact-checking unit" for your class: four roles (source checker, image checker, date checker, and spokesperson) and a five-step protocol to follow when someone brings a "breaking news story" to the group.

A digital media outlet publishes the following headline: "FACT-CHECK: It is completely false that 5G cell phone towers transmit respiratory diseases". Justify, relying on the functioning of memory and the "illusory truth effect", why this poorly framed headline can reinforce the hoax instead of debunking it. Next, redesign the headline and write a two-line lead paragraph that effectively corrects the misinformation without falling into the trap of repeating the falsehood.

Today, artificial intelligence can write fake news stories with realistic photos at almost no cost. Analyze how this changes fact-checking work, why named and reputable sources become more valuable, and propose three adaptations for the critical reader in this new situation.

Creating fake news costs very little; fact-checking it takes time and money. Analyze this asymmetry between lying and fact-checking, and propose what platforms, media outlets and readers can do to tip the scales back into balance.