Lesson 1: News vs Noise — Credibility + Verification Habits
Why this matters
A powerful story can help a community—but a false story can harm people. Media literacy helps you separate truth from noise, verify before sharing, and build trust with your audience.
Learning goals
By the end of this lesson, you can:
- Explain the difference between news, opinion, rumor, and propaganda
- Use a simple verification checklist before posting/sharing
- Identify credible sources and avoid unreliable ones
- A) News vs Noise (quick definitions)
News
Information based on evidence, confirmed sources, and accountability.
Opinion
A personal viewpoint or interpretation (not automatically wrong, but not proof).
Rumor
Unconfirmed information passed around without evidence.
Propaganda
Information designed to influence attitudes—often one-sided or emotional, sometimes misleading.
✅ Rule: Viral doesn’t mean true.
- B) The “3 Questions” habit (before you share)
Ask yourself:
- Who is saying this? (source)
- How do they know? (evidence)
- What do they want me to feel/do? (intention)
If any answer is unclear—pause and verify.
- C) The QUICK verification checklist
Use QUICK:
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- Q — Quote the claim: What exactly is being claimed?
- U — Understand the context: When/where did it happen? Is it recent?
- I — Identify the source: Who posted it first? Are they credible?
- C — Check evidence: Photos? documents? multiple sources?
- K — Know before you share: If unsure, don’t repost.
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- D) Practical credibility signs
More credible sources often have:
- Clear author/organization name
- Evidence, interviews, or data
- Corrections if they get things wrong
- Transparent dates and locations
Less credible sources often show:
- No author, no date
- Only emotion (anger/fear), no evidence
- “Share now before they delete it”
- Big claims with zero proof
Activity (10–15 minutes)
Pick one trending post/claim you’ve seen this week. Write:
- The claim (1 sentence)
- Source (who posted it)
- What evidence is shown
- What you would do before sharing
✅ Keep this note—you may use it in your weekly assignment.