Part A

News isn’t “truth.” It’s a claim that demands evidence.

In the modern public sphere, the problem isn’t only that falsehoods circulate. The deeper problem is that narrative products circulate that imitate news: they have a headline, a “source,” an image, and a tone of certainty—so they require less thinking from the reader and more belief.

The core rule of information is blunt:
every claim is provisional until it is supported.
And support is measured not by repetition, but by what the source is and how checkable it is.

Three filters every “news” item must pass

1. Source: Who says it? Do they have access? Incentives? A track record?

2. Evidence: What exactly is the data? A document? Raw video? An official statement? A number?

3. Verifiability: Can an independent third party confirm it?

If (3) is missing, you don’t have news. You have a narrative.

Why misinformation catches you even if you’re smart

You don’t need to be naïve. You only need to be human.
The brain is optimized for speed, not accuracy. During crises (war, pandemics, elections) it runs on:

• fear (to survive),

• familiarity (to decide quickly),

• group belonging (to avoid isolation).

Misinformation exploits those three. It doesn’t ask you to believe something “absurd.” It asks you to believe something emotionally compatible with you.

The first big trick: borrowing authority

The most common tactic isn’t lying. It’s staging credibility:

• “According to diplomatic sources…”

• “According to a report…”

• “Scientists say…”

If there’s no clear reference (document/name/institution/link), the authority is borrowed. Borrowed authority is the backbone of clickbait.

Part B

Fact-checking in 7 steps (no special tools required)

Step 1: Lock the claim into one sentence.
Not “things are exploding.” But: “Country X did Y on date Z.”

Step 2: Find the closest thing to the primary source.

• the original statement,

• an official press release,

• a court document,

• a scientific paper,

• raw, unedited video.

If you can’t get near the primary source, keep your distance.

Step 3: Separate fact from interpretation.
“Inflation rose 5%” (fact) ≠ “the economy is collapsing” (interpretation).
Manipulation lives in the bridge from the first to the second.

Step 4: Look for independent confirmation.
At least two independent sources, with different incentives or perspectives.

Step 5: Identify what’s missing.

• context,

• timeline,

• the denominator (what the number is out of),

• definitions.

What’s missing can matter more than what’s said.

Step 6: Watch the language.
Hyperbole, “shocking,” absolute claims, “everyone,” “no one,” “certainly.”
Certainty without evidence is a red flag.

Step 7: Don’t share before you finish the check.
Sharing is the moment misinformation turns from content into power.

Images and video: the big problem isn’t deepfakes

The most common problem isn’t “perfectly fake.” It’s old but real, presented as “now.”

• wrong date,

• wrong country,

• wrong event,

• clipped context (missing beginning/end).

Cropping and selective editing beat deepfakes because they’re cheap, fast, and convincing.

The rule: “If it makes you furious, verify twice.”

If it triggers anger/fear/validation:

• the odds of manipulation go up,

• your attention to accuracy goes down.

Manipulation doesn’t persuade you—it activates you.

Part C

Propaganda isn’t only “lies.” It’s the architecture of perception.

Propaganda doesn’t need to lie. It can:

• choose what becomes visible,

• hide what doesn’t serve it,

• repeat a frame until it feels “natural.”

Four everyday propaganda patterns

1. Agenda-setting: not what you think—what you think about.

2. Framing: the same event, different lens (“liberation” vs “invasion”).

3. Scapegoating: one culprit for everything (a classic release valve).

4. Flooding: so much noise that you give up and conclude “everyone lies.”

When “news” is really influence or advertising

Influence often arrives as:

• “neutral explainers” that steer you to a conclusion,

• “experts” who don’t disclose conflicts of interest,

• think tanks and PR dressed as analysis.

A serious reader always asks:
Who benefits if I believe this?
Not as cynicism, but as basic civic hygiene.

Polls and statistics: where people get lost

Three common errors:

• confusing averages with lived experience,

• confusing correlation with causation,

• ignoring method and timing (who asked, how, when, and whom).

A number isn’t automatically “objective.” It’s a measurement choice.

Part D

The “Newsio Protocol”: 10 rules for surviving the information age

1. Don’t trust headlines. Read the body.

2. Don’t trust the body. Look for the source.

3. If there’s no source, treat it as rumor.

4. Separate fact, interpretation, and opinion.

5. Demand context: when/where/who/why.

6. Seek a second independent confirmation.

7. Beware certainty without data.

8. What triggers you emotionally gets double-checked.

9. Don’t amplify “maybe.” Amplify “verified.”

10. Build an information diet: a few strong sources, not endless scrolling.

Editorial close: Information is a civic institution, not entertainment

News is not content. It’s a public good.
When we treat it as entertainment, the loudest wins—not the most accurate. And everyone loses: not because we were “fooled,” but because we resigned from the responsibility of judgment.

Fact-checking isn’t a luxury. It’s democratic self-defense in an era where attention is the battlefield.

Sources & Tools: SHEG, InVID, Bellingcat, Reuters Institute.