Deepfakes in the News — Check a Viral Photo or Video Before You Share
Published October 2026 · Last verified October 2026
A shocking photo or video races across your feed, and you want to share it. But AI now makes convincing fakes of events that never happened. This is a calm guide to telling real from fake, and to the simple habit — check before you share — that keeps you from spreading a lie.
A shocking photo or video races across your feed, and you want to share it. But AI now makes convincing fakes of events that never happened. This is a calm guide to telling real from fake, and to the simple habit — check before you share — that keeps you from spreading a lie.
What's inside this guide
The printable PDF walks through 23 short chapters, in plain language. It also includes an everyday cheat sheet and at-a-glance pictures.
- Why I Wrote This One
- What AI Can Now Fake
- Why Fakes Spread So Fast
- The One Habit — Check Before You Share
- Check the Source First
- Does It Want You to React?
- The Visual Tells
- The Reverse Image Check
- Old Photos, New Lies
- The Deepfake of a Public Figure
- The Harm of Sharing a Fake
- When Fakes Become Scams
- How to Check, Step by Step
- Trustworthy Sources and Fact-Checkers
- Talking to Family About This
- Keeping a Steady, Not Cynical, Eye
- A Word on Elections and Crises
- If You've Shared a Fake
- Questions People Ask Me
- A Five-Minute Media-Literacy Setup
- Reporting It — and Why It Helps
- When to Just Call Me
- Contact Card & a Warm Close
Get the printable guide
Everything above is a quick summary. The full, printable guide — the same words, laid out to read and keep by the computer — is a free PDF.
Last verified October 2026. Information accurate as of October 25, 2026.
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