Overview

Debunking Denver airport conspiracies: Students learn how to use lateral reading and the Stanford History Education Group’s “Three Questions” - Who is behind the information? What is the evidence? What do other sources say? - to decode a conspiracy theory about the Denver airport.

These lessons were developed by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs in partnership with MediaWise and the Teen Fact-Checking Network , which are part of the Poynter Institute. This partnership has been made possible with support from Google.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Define zombie claim.
• Use lateral reading to research a source and the evidence of a claim.
• Use the Stanford History Education Group’s “Three Questions” to fact-check a claim

Grade level

6-12

Subjects

Media literacy, social studies, language arts, journalism

Estimated time

45 minutes

Downloadable lesson plan documents

• Student Handout
• Extension Activity
• Teacher Tips

Key vocabulary

1. Zombie claims — Conspiracy theories or misinformation that recirculate repeatedly over long periods of time.
2. Lateral reading — A strategy for investigating who's behind an unfamiliar online source by doing additional reading on the subject (multiple browser tabs are opened 'laterally')

Before you watch

Why should you avoid sharing conspiracy theories even if they seem harmless, or even amusing?

While you watch

Preview the questions. Then answer them while you watch the MediaWise Teen-Fact Checking Network (TFCN) video using the word bank.

OPINION—HOLOCAUST—FACTS—SELL—SPOKESPERSON—LINKS—EXPERT

1. Why is it important to trace social media shares back to the original post?
   
2. The username “auntie_coolete” was behind the original post and she has a link in her bio to _______________ memorabilia. Is this a credible original source? Explain.
   
3. There are no _______________ to sources or citations to provide evidence to support the conspiracy theory in the post, only _______________. Is this good evidence? Explain.
   
4. The Denver Post newspaper and the Denver Airport _______________ Alex Renteria were cited as sources found through lateral reading. Are they reliable sources? Explain.
   
5. While some conspiracy theories might suggest the earth is flat, others can go as far as discrediting the _______________.

After you watch

1. How can you determine if there is credible evidence for a claim in a social media post?
2. How can you determine if a source you find through lateral reading is credible?
3. Why would the Denver International Airport embrace the conspiracy theories circulating online?

Extension activity

Use lateral reading and choose credible sources to fact-check each of the following conspiracy theories about the Denver International Airport (DIA) in the "activity" link of this lesson. What is an alternate explanation for each conspiracy theory?

About the next lesson

Zeroing in on the “zombie” virus claim: Students practice “reading upstream” to find a primary, credible source and learn what a “zombie claim” is as they investigate a post about melting glaciers releasing long-dormant viruses.

Standards

ISTE 6-12.1.4.a —Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

Common Core ELA CC.8.5.6-8; CC.8.5.9-10.A; CC.8.5.11-12.A - Citing informational text

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) D3.1.6-8 —Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.

This lesson was published on April 26, 2023 and updated June 3, 2026

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