Pause before sharing a shocking political post. Trace it to its original source, check the claim against independent evidence, and verify that any photo or video belongs to the event and date claimed. Emotional language or pressure to share may be reasons to investigate, but neither proves a claim false nor establishes that its publisher is promoting extremism.
How can you recognize possible propaganda without overclaiming?
Look for signals that call for verification: an urgent demand to share, highly emotional framing, unclear or impersonated sourcing, selective quotation, missing dates, or media detached from its original event. These are prompts to check, not a diagnostic test. A true claim can be expressed emotionally, and an inaccurate post may be shared without deliberate deception.
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Describe what the evidence shows rather than guessing at a publisher’s motive. For example, say that a post omits the recording date or that a quotation differs from the original speech. The label “disinformation” implies intent to deceive; intent usually cannot be established from a post alone. UNESCO distinguishes disinformation, which involves intent to deceive, from misinformation shared with neutral or good intent. When intent is unknown, focus on observable facts.
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How do you verify a political claim you saw online?
- Pause and preserve the context. Do not forward the post while checking it. Note the exact claim, the account or organization that published it, the date, and where you saw it. The United Nations recommends checking origin and comparing content with reliable sources before relaying it: UN “Engage” guidance on responding to hate speech.
- Separate fact from opinion. Identify the specific statement that can be checked against evidence. A value judgment or prediction may not be verifiable in the same way as a claim about an event, number, or quotation.
- Trace the source. Look for the original speech, document, dataset, video, or post. Check whether a report quotes it accurately and whether the item was edited, clipped, or reposted later.
- Compare independent evidence. Check primary documents where available, then compare with reliable reporting or subject-matter sources. Reposts, popularity, and a confident tone are not confirmation.
- Check what remains uncertain. Record what the evidence establishes and what it does not. A factual error does not, by itself, prove that the person who shared it intended to deceive.
UNESCO’s media and information literacy curriculum includes a fact-checking exercise that asks learners to identify testable claims, document their verification steps, and discuss the effects of false claims: UNESCO media and information literacy curriculum.
How can you check whether a photo or video is old or out of context?
For a photo
Use reverse image search to look for earlier appearances of the image. An older publication may reveal a different date, location, or event than the caption claims. Compare the image with the original post or reliable coverage; finding the same photo elsewhere is a lead, not proof that a particular caption is false.
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For a video
Look for the original recording and compare the event, location, recording date, and upload timing with the post’s description. A clip may be genuine yet misleadingly presented if it is old, edited, or detached from what happened before or after it. UNESCO’s verification guidance covers checking social-media material and its context: Journalism, Fake News & Disinformation: Handbook for Journalism Education and Training.
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What should you do after checking?
- If a correction could help, explain the key evidence briefly and link to the original document or reliable fact-check. Avoid repeating a slur or sensational claim unless it is necessary to identify what you are correcting.
- If someone is targeted, offer support and challenge hateful language calmly rather than amplifying it.
- If content violates platform rules, use that platform’s reporting mechanism. Reporting options and labels vary and may change.
- If there is a serious threat or incitement, consider contacting relevant authorities, taking local context into account.
The United Nations’ “Engage” guidance advises checking content’s origin with search engines, fact-checking tools, and other reliable sources; it also recommends not relaying hateful or misleading content reflexively.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Further reading
For a structured introduction to fact-checking and online verification, see Cherilyn Ireton and Julie Posetti’s 2018 UNESCO handbook, Journalism, Fake News & Disinformation: Handbook for Journalism Education and Training. UNESCO lists it as a 128-page publication, ISBN 978-92-3-100281-6, and offers digital editions.
UNESCO reported in 2024 that two-thirds of digital content creators do not systematically fact-check information before sharing it online. In 2023, UNESCO and IPSOS reported that 85% of citizens were worried about the impact of online disinformation. These figures describe behavior and concern; they do not indicate that two-thirds of online content is false or establish the intent behind any particular post: UNESCO figures on online creators and disinformation.
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