When Photos Lie

You’ve probably heard the term “fake news”—articles that are made to look like real news but are actually partly or completely made up. Each day, countless fake articles get passed around on social media.

Like made-up news, phony photos can make people believe things that aren’t true. And experts say they can be even more powerful than fake articles because we often believe what we see more than what we read.

You’ve probably heard the term “fake news”—articles that are made to look like real news but are actually partly or completely made up. Each day, countless fake articles get passed around on social media.

Like made-up news, phony photos can make people believe things that aren’t true. And experts say they can be even more powerful than fake articles. That’s because we often believe what we see more than what we read. 

Most fake photos are pretty harmless­. People often create them to get a laugh or a lot of likes on social media. Maybe they want to trick friends into thinking they own a 200-pound cat or that Taylor Swift came to their birthday party.

But others do it for a more serious purpose: to spread lies. Many fake photos are meant to make political leaders look bad. Others are related to issues that people have strong opinions about, such as immigration. The images are often designed to make people upset. The goal is to influence the way people think or even how they vote.

“With the right image and the right headline, you can really manipulate people’s emotions and make them believe all sorts of things,” says John Silva. He works for the News Literacy Project, which helps students learn to find reliable news sources.

Most fake photos are pretty harmless. People often create them to get a laugh or a lot of likes on social media. Maybe they want to trick friends into thinking they own a 200-pound cat or that Taylor Swift came to their birthday party.

But others do it for a more serious purpose: to spread lies. Many fake photos are meant to make political leaders look bad. Others are related to issues that people have strong opinions about, such as immigration. The images are often designed to make people upset. The goal is to influence the way people think. It can even be to influence how they vote.

“With the right image and the right headline, you can really manipulate people’s emotions and make them believe all sorts of things,” says John Silva. He works for the News Literacy Project. The organization helps students learn to find reliable news sources.

A click or a tap. That’s all it takes to put a fake photo online. But once it starts spreading, it can be hard to stop. Experts say the more likes and shares a photo racks up, the more likely we are to think it’s real. And when we believe what we’re seeing, we’ll share the photo too. But, Silva says, when we share fake images, we contribute to the problem.

So how can you help stop the spread of fake photos? According to Silva, the key is to be skeptical. If an image seems unbelievable, that’s a warning sign that it might not be real.

“If something doesn’t look right, take a step back,” says Silva, “and start asking questions.”

A click or a tap. That’s all it takes to put a fake photo online. But once it starts spreading, it can be hard to stop. Experts say the more likes and shares a photo racks up, the more likely we are to think it’s real. And when we believe what we’re seeing, we’ll share the photo too. But, Silva says, when we share fake images, we contribute to the problem.

So how can you help stop the spread of fake photos? According to Silva, the key is to be skeptical. If an image seems unbelievable, that’s a warning sign. It might not be real.

“If something doesn’t look right, take a step back,” says Silva, “and start asking questions.”

1. How do the photos on page 2 help you understand the article’s first two paragraphs?

2. How are fake photos similar to fake news? How are they different?

3. Summarize why some people create fake photos.

4. Explain why you should be skeptical about the photo in the sidebar “Don’t Fall for a Fake”?

1. How do the photos on page 2 help you understand the article’s first two paragraphs?

2. How are fake photos similar to fake news? How are they different?

3. Summarize why some people create fake photos.

4. Explain why you should be skeptical about the photo in the sidebar “Don’t Fall for a Fake”?