{"id":637,"date":"2024-10-03T17:54:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T17:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/chapter\/three-ways-to-correct-misinformation\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T21:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T21:29:10","slug":"three-ways-to-correct-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/chapter\/three-ways-to-correct-misinformation\/","title":{"raw":"Three Ways to Correct Misinformation","rendered":"Three Ways to Correct Misinformation"},"content":{"raw":"Take a look at this video:\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J4JAe7WDHgo\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/chapter\/three-critical-thinking-questions\/\">Select this link to access a video description for people who are blind or low-vision.<\/a>\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s always something you can do when you spot false info online.\r\n\r\nHere are three ways to respond:\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Question it<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nIf the false info is coming from a friend or a family member, or you\u2019re worried that your reply might help spread the false info, you can just ask a question like \u201cAre you sure that\u2019s true?\u201d or \u201cIs that source reliable?\u201d.\r\n\r\nThat nudges them to think more about whether what they\u2019re sharing is true, and shows other people that you don\u2019t agree with the bad info.\r\n\r\nResearch has found this works almost as well as correcting or debunking false information!\r\n\r\nIf you don\u2019t want to do this where other people can see, you can always send it as a private message.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Try saying:<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cAre you sure that\u2019s true?\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cWhere did you hear that?\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cIs that source reliable?\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Correct it<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nYou can also correct false information by just giving accurate info on the topic. You might choose this if a lot of people will see what you post, of if you\u2019re worried about making things worse by repeating the false information.\r\n\r\nYou don\u2019t even have to mention the bad info to correct it, and you don\u2019t have to tell someone they\u2019re wrong. Just share accurate info that shows the truth.\r\n\r\nMake sure your info is coming from a legitimate, trusted source, and show where it came from.\r\n\r\nRemember that less is more! Keep it simple and give just enough to correct the bad info.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nSay something like:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u201cHealth Canada has studied cellphone radiation for years and set guidelines to make sure it stays under safe levels.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cStatistics Canada says that there\u2019s actually a lot less violent crime than there was twenty years ago.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Debunk it<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nIf you can clearly show that the info is false, you can debunk it by saying it\u2019s wrong and showing why. You might choose to do this if the false information has already spread widely or if the person sharing it has a bigger audience than you do.\r\n\r\nMake sure to say how you found out it was wrong. That way, the person who shared it \u2013 and everyone else who sees your post \u2013 sees how to avoid sharing bad info.\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re replying to someone you don\u2019t know, don\u2019t link to the bad info: use a screenshot instead. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.take-a-screenshot.org\/\">take-a-screenshot.org<\/a> to find out how to do that on different devices. And make sure you don\u2019t repeat a hashtag that\u2019s being used to spread bad info.\r\n\r\nStick to the facts: keep cool and don\u2019t be rude. Start with \u201cI\u201d so you don\u2019t sound like you\u2019re picking a fight.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nTry saying:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u201cI checked Snopes and they say that video is fake.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cI looked up where that story came from and it\u2019s actually a parody site.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cI did a reverse image search and that picture is actually from after a rock concert, not a protest march.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nYou may not convince the person who shared false info, but you can keep others from believing it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<p>Take a look at this video:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"Correcting disinformation | Break the Fake\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J4JAe7WDHgo?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/chapter\/three-critical-thinking-questions\/\">Select this link to access a video description for people who are blind or low-vision.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s always something you can do when you spot false info online.<\/p>\n<p>Here are three ways to respond:<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Question it<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>If the false info is coming from a friend or a family member, or you\u2019re worried that your reply might help spread the false info, you can just ask a question like \u201cAre you sure that\u2019s true?\u201d or \u201cIs that source reliable?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>That nudges them to think more about whether what they\u2019re sharing is true, and shows other people that you don\u2019t agree with the bad info.<\/p>\n<p>Research has found this works almost as well as correcting or debunking false information!<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t want to do this where other people can see, you can always send it as a private message.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Try saying:<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAre you sure that\u2019s true?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWhere did you hear that?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIs that source reliable?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Correct it<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>You can also correct false information by just giving accurate info on the topic. You might choose this if a lot of people will see what you post, of if you\u2019re worried about making things worse by repeating the false information.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t even have to mention the bad info to correct it, and you don\u2019t have to tell someone they\u2019re wrong. Just share accurate info that shows the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure your info is coming from a legitimate, trusted source, and show where it came from.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that less is more! Keep it simple and give just enough to correct the bad info.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Say something like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cHealth Canada has studied cellphone radiation for years and set guidelines to make sure it stays under safe levels.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cStatistics Canada says that there\u2019s actually a lot less violent crime than there was twenty years ago.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\"><strong>Debunk it<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>If you can clearly show that the info is false, you can debunk it by saying it\u2019s wrong and showing why. You might choose to do this if the false information has already spread widely or if the person sharing it has a bigger audience than you do.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure to say how you found out it was wrong. That way, the person who shared it \u2013 and everyone else who sees your post \u2013 sees how to avoid sharing bad info.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re replying to someone you don\u2019t know, don\u2019t link to the bad info: use a screenshot instead. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.take-a-screenshot.org\/\">take-a-screenshot.org<\/a> to find out how to do that on different devices. And make sure you don\u2019t repeat a hashtag that\u2019s being used to spread bad info.<\/p>\n<p>Stick to the facts: keep cool and don\u2019t be rude. Start with \u201cI\u201d so you don\u2019t sound like you\u2019re picking a fight.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Try saying:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cI checked Snopes and they say that video is fake.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI looked up where that story came from and it\u2019s actually a parody site.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI did a reverse image search and that picture is actually from after a rock concert, not a protest march.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You may not convince the person who shared false info, but you can keep others from believing it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"menu_order":6,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-637","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":622,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2213,"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/637\/revisions\/2213"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/622"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/637\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=637"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=637"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigatingstudent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}