Materials

• Lesson outline
• Student handout
• Projector
• Computers and Internet connection
• Background reading
  • PBS NewsHour: Out of context photos a common source of low-tech misinformation
  • Snopes: Do these photographs show the same spot in the Arctic 100 years apart?
  • CNN: The truth behind this photo of an ‘immigrant child’ crying in a cage
  • Snopes: Is This Shopping Aisle Empty Because of Socialism?
  • Wikipedia – ”good articles” verification
  • Wikipedia – ”Mike Hudema” entry

Key vocabulary

• Click restraint — Avoid clicking the first result, which could be an ad or biased;  scroll to find a search result from a reputable source
• Lateral reading — Opening multiple tabs to read about the topic from multiple reliable sources.
• Wikipedia “good article” — “An article that meets a core set of editorial standards, passing through the good article nomination process successfully. They are well-written, contain factually accurate and verifiable information, are broad in coverage, neutral in point of view , stable and illustrated, where possible, by relevant images with suitable copyright licenses .”

ACTIVATOR (5 Minutes)

Display these tweets or a similar one. Ask students:

1-What type of emotion does  this type of post evoke?

• Anger; shock; strong emotions
  

2 - What is the purpose of the post?

• Sway public opinion against environmental activists
• Paint environmental activists as hypocritical

Explain that photos that create strong emotions are a clue that you should double-check their accuracy. They are often used out of context to spread misinformation and we tend to believe information with a photo attached to it. The images used in the post above were not of the event. The one on the left is from a completely different event in the park and the one on the right is a picture of Mumbai, India. Share the actual image of the park after the environmentalists’ group event.

Acquisition (15 minutes)

1. Read this PBS NewsHour Article about why “ Out of context photos are a common source of low-tech misinformation ” and answer the following questions. According to the article:

• This form of misinformation is “particularly dangerous because images are a powerful tool to”:

1- sway public opinion 2- promote misinformation

• What impact did the use of images have in the social media simulation? Increased likes, shares, and belief the post is true
• What surprising effect can photos have on memories? They can change our memory or perception of what happened in the past
• List four reasons photos are effective.
  

1- we are familiar with photojournalism to prove events happened 2- photos help us easily retrieve information and signal it’s true 3- photos help us imagine an event happened and think it may be true 4- photos capture our attention

• What is one way to check an image explained in the article?

Reverse image search

2. Watch the MediaWise Teen-Fact Checking Network (TFCN) Video

Fill out the table about the example tweet as you watch the video to see how the TFCN debunked it:

List Three Questions to Answer About a Post WIth a Photo Without Context Answers to the questions for this post 1- Who is the source of the information? Mark Hudema– Climate Activist 2 - What is the evidence? 3- What do other sources say?

• How can you tell if a Wikipedia entry is reliable? Look for the little green circle in the upper left of the entry, which means it’s a “good article.”
• Define the term “click restraint” — Avoid clicking the first result which could be an ad or biased;  scroll until you find a result from a reputable source
• What is “lateral reading”? Opening multiple tabs to read about the topic from multiple reliable sources.
• Who was Christian Aslund and why is he relevant to this social media post? A Swedish photojournalist who has worked with the environmental organization, Greenpeace, for years. In the story he talks about a project he did in 2003 in which he chose photos taken of glaciers in the early 1900s, found where they had been taken and re-created them. It’s called a “glacier comparison.”
  

Assessment (5 minutes)

“What’s the Big Idea?” discussion questions

1. What is a clue that you should double-check the context of a photo on social media?

• When a post triggers strong emotions
• When a post topic is a controversial topic or about a political opponent

1. How do photos used out of context cause people to unknowingly share misinformation?

• We are more likely to believe information with a photo
• Photojournalism uses photos to provide proof an event happened
• A photograph can change our memory or perception of what happened in the past
• Photos capture our attention

1. What is the most surprising thing you learned about the use of photos on social media?

• Answers vary

Extension and refining activity — Ticket out the door

Use either of these images below and ask the students to use a tool or tools to fact-check the first one and use the second one (if available)  to illustrate how they were used out of context. Have each student or group explain how they checked the accuracy of the image either in writing or as a group presentation.

Image link here.

This image is not taken from a socialist country. This image was taken in a supermarket in Japan after a Tsunami. Grocery stores often run out of products during a natural disaster.The image was used to attack a political viewpoint by using a photo out of context. Image link here .

Image link here. This image to the left was used out of context to criticize an immigration policy during the Trump presidency. See CNN: The Truth Behind this Photo of an ‘Immigrant Child’ Crying in a Cage

Additional resources

• MediaWise “Is This Legit?” series
• How to combat political misinformation from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
• Fact-checking lesson for Student Journalists
• Misinformation Overload : Interviews from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
• StoryMaker Media Literacy Learning
• 10 tips to spot media misinformation
• Reuters Media Literacy Contest
• Journalism in Action , a history of journalism in the U.S., including political satire, from PBS NewsHour Classroom

MediaWise is a digital media literacy initiative of the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Now in over 170 middle and high schools, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL) is a national youth journalism program that trains teenagers across the country to produce stories that highlight the achievements and challenges today’s youth face.