🛠️ Lesson 3: Tools and Techniques for Fact-Checking
🎬 Start Here: Watch the Broadcast Breakdown
In this humorous but revealing video, we see a breaking news broadcast claiming to reveal the presence of aliens in Antarctica – complete with “random footage” from an unnamed source. As the segment spirals into absurdity, the tone shifts: a narrator steps in to debunk the story using simple but powerful fact-checking tools. The message? Don’t believe the hype – verify before you amplify.
🧠 Why It Matters
We’re living in a time where deepfakes, bots, and edited screenshots are part of everyday life. So how do we tell the difference between fact and fiction? We use the tools. We sharpen our instincts. And we build habits that resist manipulation. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to become your own fact-checker and help others do the same. 🕵️♀️
🔧 5 Essential Tools Every Truth-Seeker Needs
1. Google Reverse Image Search 🖼️
Upload an image or paste its URL to check where else it’s been used. Fake stories often use real images out of context. If that “alien base” image is actually from a video game or a 2013 winter festival in Canada – this tool will expose it.
2. InVID & WeVerify Plugin 🎥
A Chrome plugin for verifying videos. Breaks down frames, checks for metadata, and helps you trace original content across platforms. A must for tackling viral TikToks or misleading news footage.
3. Fact-Checking Websites 🧾
Use trusted platforms like:
- Snopes – busts common urban legends and hoaxes
- PolitiFact – checks political statements
- Disinfo.eu – tracks disinformation in Europe
4. Metadata Extractors 🔍
Use tools like FotoForensics to check if an image has been manipulated. You can often spot when a photo was taken, with what device, and whether it was altered.
5. OSINT Framework 🧠
A deep-dive tool directory for investigators: osintframework.com. Used by digital journalists, researchers, and professionals to track info across the internet. Explore this when you’re ready to go pro.
💡 Based on a Real Training
The content in this lesson draws from a live seminar developed and delivered by Eleni Stamouli, an experienced non-formal education trainer who has worked across Europe through Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. Her workshop introduced simple steps to check credibility:
- Check the source’s About page
- Use Google Reverse Image Search
- Look for the same story in reliable media
- Avoid emotionally manipulative content with all-caps and excessive emojis
Remember: if something makes you mad or shocked instantly, that’s a sign to pause, not post.
🛡️ Activity: Be the Debunker
Find a suspicious post or meme online. Use at least two tools from this lesson to investigate it. What did you learn? Would you still share it?
📚 Further Reading & Resources:
- OSINT Framework – www.osintframework.com
- BBC Bitesize: Tips for Spotting Fake News
- First Draft: Verification Toolbox
The truth is out there – and now you have the tools to find it. 🧠🛰️💻