SERIES: Media Literacy and Fake News

S1-S3

60–90 minutes

Create a visual verification case file for an image or video claim

Seeing is not the same as verifying. A visual can be AI-generated, edited, cropped, old, taken somewhere else — or completely authentic but attached to a false caption. You will investigate one visual claim and create a case file showing how context and provenance can be checked. By the end of this challenge you […]

Create a visual verification case file for an image or video claim

Your Mission

Investigate an image or video claim and build a case file showing exactly how you verified it.

You will examine context, extract visual clues, trace the media backwards and make a cautious evidence-based verdict.

The Shape of This Challenge

Discover

✏️ ️ Notice & question

Explore

️ Investigate & test

Create

✏️ Make & communicate

Reflect

️ Think & apply

Discover

Start with the idea that real media can still be used misleadingly.

Step 1

A Real Image Can Tell a False Story

️ Context challenge · 8–10 mins

We are learning to understand that visual misinformation does not require a fake image.

Old photos, cropped videos and real images with false captions can be as misleading as AI-generated media.

Your Task

Imagine the same flood photo labelled with three different places and dates.
List what stays true about the pixels and what changes about the claim.
Write three context details you would need before sharing it as evidence.

I can explain how authentic media can still be used misleadingly.

→ This gives you the key idea for the visual verification process.

Critical ThinkingDigital CitizenshipMedia Literacy

Step 2

Read the Visual Clues

✏️ Observation · 8–10 mins

We are learning to extract useful verification clues before using specialist tools.

Signs, weather, shadows, landmarks, uniforms, language, vehicle plates and editing cuts can all create searchable clues.

Your Task

Study a teacher-provided or public image/video still.
List at least five visible clues.
Mark which clues could help with place, time or source.
Write one clue that may look convincing but could be unreliable.

I can identify visual clues that can guide verification without treating them as proof.

→ This gives you search terms and questions for deeper checking.

ResearchObservationCritical Thinking

Explore

Trace the media to earlier context and judge what the evidence actually supports.

Step 3

Trace the Media Backwards

Choose your route · 12–18 mins

We are learning to find earlier or original uses of an image or video claim.

Verification often means going backwards: who posted it earlier, what was the original caption and does the date/location match the new claim?

Your Task

Choose one safe image or video claim.
Complete one research route.
Record the earliest credible use you can find.
Compare original context with the current claim.

⚡ Quick Track

Use reverse-image search where available, or search distinctive visual details and wording. Find one earlier credible use and compare date, place and caption.

Dig Deeper

Use multiple methods: reverse-image search, keyframe/still search, landmark or text clues, and independent reporting. Build a short timeline of how the media appeared or changed.

I can trace visual media to earlier context and explain whether the new claim matches it.

→ This becomes the central evidence in your case file.

ResearchVerificationDigital Literacy

Step 4

AI-Generated, Edited or Simply Mislabelled?

️ Evidence judgement · 10–12 mins

We are learning to avoid treating AI detection or visual oddities as definitive proof.

Visual anomalies can be useful clues, but compression, editing and ordinary camera artefacts can also look strange.

Your Task

Create four possible verdicts: authentic/context correct, authentic/context false, edited/manipulated, not enough evidence.
List what evidence would justify each verdict.
If an AI-detection tool is used, record its result as one signal only.
Choose the most defensible verdict for your case.

I can make a cautious visual-verification judgement based on multiple evidence types.

→ This prevents your final case file from overclaiming certainty.

Critical ThinkingEthical ReasoningDigital Citizenship

Create & Share

Publish a transparent case file that shows the process, not just the verdict.

Step 5

Create a Visual Verification Case File

✏️ Investigate · Create · 25–35 mins

We are learning to show the verification process clearly enough that another person could follow it.

Your case file should show the claim, clues, search path, evidence and verdict — not just the answer.

Your Task

State the exact visual claim.
Show at least three useful clues or checks.
Include the earlier/original context you found.
Give a verdict and confidence level.
Choose one output below.

Visual Verification Case File

1 page · annotated evidence + 150–200 words

⏱ 25–30 mins

Show the claim, clues, trace-back evidence and verdict on one page.

Image/Video Verification Briefing

4 slides · maximum 30 words per slide

⏱ 30–35 mins

Walk the audience through claim, checks, original context and verdict.

How I Verified This

90 seconds final runtime

⏱ 30–35 mins

Screen-record or narrate the verification path without exposing private accounts.

I can create a transparent visual-verification case file with evidence and appropriate uncertainty.

→ This is your finished mission output.

ResearchCritical ThinkingCommunication

Step 6

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

️ Think or discuss · 5–8 mins

We are learning to reflect on why verification is a process rather than an instant detector.

The next challenge zooms out from individual posts to whole feeds: what different people see and how that shapes perception.

Your Task

Answer the prompts.
Name the strongest piece of evidence in your case.
Write one reason visual AI-detection results should be treated cautiously.

Reflect

Which verification method was most useful in your case?

Apply

How could this process help when checking breaking news or viral clips?

Look Forward

How might provenance tools or content credentials change visual verification in the future?

I can explain why context, provenance and corroboration matter more than a single visual clue.

→ You are ready to investigate how platform feeds shape information exposure.

ReflectionCritical ThinkingDigital Citizenship

Dex AI Study Partner

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TOOLKIT

Choose Your Tools

Use the tools available to you. The quality of the checking and reasoning matters more than the software.

Image search

Use reverse-image search where available, or search distinctive details from the image. Check earliest/contextual uses rather than only visually similar copies.

Video

Look for the original upload, longer clip, date/location clues and independent reporting. Treat AI-detection tools as signals, not proof.

Create

Use a case file, annotated image board, slides or short verification video.

Educator / Parent Notes

Age, Stage and Prior Learning: Designed for S1–S3. Use safe, non-graphic visual examples and avoid requiring personal social-media accounts.

Before You Start: Pre-select images/videos if open web searching may expose learners to harmful content. Explain that AI detectors can produce false positives and negatives.

How to Open This: Show the same authentic image with two conflicting captions and ask: “What exactly would we need to verify?”

Scheduling: Steps 1–4 need 40–50 minutes; Step 5 needs 25–35 minutes.

If a Pupil Gets Stuck: Provide one image plus two contextual clues and a simple Claim / Clues / Search / Earlier use / Verdict template.

For Fast Finishers: Ask learners to build a provenance timeline or compare the strengths and weaknesses of several verification methods.

Marking Guidance: Look for trace-back evidence, context checking, multiple signals, cautious language and a transparent route from evidence to verdict.

Create a visual verification case file for an image or video claim

Create a visual verification case file for an image or video claim

Discover

A Real Image Can Tell a False Story

Read the Visual Clues

Explore

Trace the Media Backwards

AI-Generated, Edited or Simply Mislabelled?

Create & Share

Create a Visual Verification Case File

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

Show What You Have Learned

Image search

Video

Create

Show What You Have Learned

Image search

Video

Create

TOOLKIT

Image search

Video

Create

Educator / Parent Notes

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