SERIES: Power, Propaganda and Manipulation

S1-S3

60–90 minutes

Political Manipulation: Disinformation, Deepfakes and Democracy

AI makes fake text, images, audio and video easier to create, while ordinary editing, misleading captions, bots and selective data can also distort political information. But finding false content is not the same as proving it changed an election. This challenge gives you a viewpoint-neutral process for checking political material: authenticity, publisher, claim accuracy […]

Political Manipulation: Disinformation, Deepfakes and Democracy

Your Mission

Create a political-information verification briefing that separates what is fake, who published it, what evidence supports the claim and what we actually know about its likely impact.

You will work with neutral, non-partisan examples and official UK guidance. You will investigate digital imprints, synthetic media and evidence about misinformation effects, then build a verification workflow that works regardless of which party or viewpoint a message supports.

The Shape of This Challenge

Discover

✏️ Separate the questions

Explore

Verify source & media

Create

Build the briefing

Reflect

️ Protect trust

Discover

Separate authenticity, source, accuracy and impact.

Step 1

Four Different Questions

✏️ Claim sort · 8–10 mins

We are learning to separate authenticity, source, accuracy and impact instead of collapsing them into one judgement.

Your Task

Write four headings: Is it authentic?, Who published it?, Is the claim accurate? and What effect did it have?.
Under each heading, write the kind of evidence you would need.
Explain why a real video can contain a false claim, and a synthetic image can illustrate a true issue.
Explain why proving that a misleading post exists is not the same as proving it changed how people voted.

I can identify four different evidence questions in political-information verification.

→ This gives you the structure for your final verification briefing.

Media LiteracyCritical ThinkingData Literacy

Step 2

Who Is Behind the Message?

Transparency check · 10–12 mins

We are learning to use digital imprints and publisher information as one part of political source verification.

Your Task

Open the Electoral Commission guidance on digital imprints.
Record what an imprint is designed to tell voters.
Write down two types of digital campaign material that can fall within the imprint rules.
Explain why an imprint helps with transparency but does not automatically prove that every claim in the material is true.

I can explain what a digital imprint can and cannot tell me about political material.

→ This gives your verification workflow a concrete UK transparency check.

Digital CitizenshipCivic LiteracySource Evaluation

Explore

Verify suspicious media and test claims about democratic impact.

Step 3

Synthetic, Edited or Simply Misleading?

Verification route · 12–15 mins

We are learning to avoid relying on visual hunches when checking suspicious political media.

⚡ Quick Track

Use the Ofcom Dismiss political misinformation guidance. Record the five areas it highlights — including deepfakes, bots, echo chambers and data manipulation — and choose two checks that would help before sharing suspicious content.

Dig Deeper

Use an approved research tool to locate one documented political deepfake or synthetic-media incident reported by an official body, established fact-checker or reputable newsroom. Ask for the original report. Open the original source, verify the incident and record how investigators established what was false or synthetic. Do not reproduce harmful or deceptive media in your work.

I can describe a verification process based on provenance and evidence rather than ‘it looks fake to me’.

→ This gives your final briefing a practical synthetic-media check.

VerificationAI LiteracyOnline Research

Step 4

What Do We Actually Know About Impact?

Evidence audit · 10–12 mins

We are learning to distinguish a plausible democratic risk from evidence that a particular piece of misinformation changed votes.

Your Task

Open the UK Government evidence review Deepfakes and media literacy.
Record the finding that clear evidence of significant effects on voting choice is limited.
Record one other concern the review identifies, such as confusion or reduced trust.
Write two sentences: “The evidence supports concern about…” and “The evidence does not justify claiming…”.

I can match my claim about political manipulation to the strength of the available evidence.

→ This prevents your final briefing from becoming alarmist or partisan.

Evidence EvaluationData LiteracyCritical Thinking

Create

Build a neutral political-information verification briefing.

Step 5

Build the Political Verification Brief

✏️ Plan first · Then create · 30–45 mins

We are learning to communicate political-information checks in a neutral, evidence-based way.

Before You Create

Use all four Step 1 questions in your plan.
Include the digital-imprint transparency check.
Include at least two synthetic-media or misinformation verification moves.
Include the evidence limit from Step 4.
Choose one format below and create the finished briefing.

Verification Briefing

300–400 words · source, authenticity, accuracy + impact sections

⏱ 35–45 mins

Use the four-question structure from Step 1 and name the official guidance behind your checks.

Political Content Check

1 page · 6–8 decision points + 80–120 words

⏱ 30–40 mins

Build a neutral verification flow that works no matter which political viewpoint the content supports.

Deepfake ≠ Election Changed

3–4 slides · maximum 25–30 words per slide

⏱ 30–40 mins

Explain authenticity, publisher transparency, claim verification and evidence about impact as four separate issues.

I can create a neutral verification briefing that separates authenticity, publisher, accuracy and impact.

→ This is your finished mission output.

Content CreationDigital CitizenshipMedia Literacy

Step 6

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

️ Talk or think quietly · 5–8 mins

We are learning to protect democratic judgement without becoming cynical about all information.

Reflect

Which is more dangerous to good judgement: believing everything, or deciding nothing can be trusted?

Apply

What check could you do before sharing a dramatic political video, even if it supports a view you already agree with?

Look Forward

What skills will citizens need as synthetic media becomes easier to create?

I can use verification to become more careful without becoming automatically distrustful of everything.

→ You’ve completed the challenge by replacing political panic with a repeatable, viewpoint-neutral evidence process.

ReflectionDigital CitizenshipCritical Thinking

Dex AI Study Partner

Hi! I'm Dex, your AI Study Partner. Ask me a question, attach a screenshot, test your skills with Quiz, or click Mastery for feedback!

Screenshot attached

TOOLKIT

Electoral Commission digital imprints: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/political-registration-and-regulation/imprints/imprints-digital-material ; Ofcom Dismiss: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/helping-to-dismiss-disinformation-around-the-general-election ; UK Government deepfakes and media literacy evidence review: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/deepfakes-and-media-literacy/deepfakes-and-media-literacy ; UK online disinformation and AI threat guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-guidance-for-may-2021-elections/online-disinformation-and-ai-threat-guidance-for-electoral-candidates-and-officials

Educator / Parent Notes

Age, Stage and Prior Learning: Designed for S1–S3 at Developing level. Keep examples viewpoint-neutral and focus on process rather than evaluating which party or political belief is 'correct'.

Before You Start: Use official guidance pages rather than live partisan feeds where possible. Avoid displaying harmful deepfakes or graphic manipulated content. The challenge is about verification technique and evidence quality.

How to Open This: Write four questions on the board: “Is it real? Who posted it? Is the claim true? Did it change behaviour?” Ask why those questions need different evidence.

Scheduling: Steps 1–2 establish the framework, Steps 3–4 verify media and evaluate impact evidence, Step 5 is production. Allow 60–90 minutes.

If a Pupil Gets Stuck: Use a hypothetical political video and walk through what evidence would answer each of the four questions without asking the learner to decide whether the hypothetical political claim is good or bad.

For Fast Finishers: Ask learners to explain the 'liar's dividend' problem: awareness of deepfakes can also make it easier to dismiss genuine content as fake. Keep the discussion on verification and trust.

Marking Guidance: Look for clear separation of the four questions, correct understanding of imprints, source/provenance-based verification, cautious treatment of voting-impact claims and viewpoint-neutral application.

We're on a mission to help you thrive in the age of AI

Learning you'll love

*Digitize was Informed, Designed and developed by young people on our pathways programmes

Political Manipulation: Disinformation, Deepfakes and Democracy

Political Manipulation: Disinformation, Deepfakes and Democracy

Discover

Four Different Questions

Who Is Behind the Message?

Explore

Synthetic, Edited or Simply Misleading?

What Do We Actually Know About Impact?

Create

Build the Political Verification Brief

Reflect, Apply, Look Forward

Political Manipulation: Disinformation, Deepfakes and Democracy

Political Manipulation: Disinformation, Deepfakes and Democracy

TOOLKIT

Educator / Parent Notes

More like this

No Phones, No Internet, No Algorithm: Create a Future Artist Strategy Pitch

Tours, Tickets and the Live Music Economy: Create a Live Music Impact Report

AI Music: Create an AI Music Ethics Case File

Spotify Wrapped and Music Data: Create a Music Data Storyboard

Streaming Changed the Industry: Create a Streaming Economy Explainer

MTV Changed Everything: Create a Music Video Culture Briefing

Design a Community Project

Evaluating Solutions

What Is Not Working and Why?

Local Heroes and Community Champions

Who Lives Here and What Do They Need?

Mapping Your Community

Fancy a chat?

LET'S TALK DIGITIZE

Contact Us

PARTNER

USEFUL LINKS