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This page was translated from the German original, partly by machine. Some passages may read awkwardly or contain inaccuracies. When in doubt, please read the original.

Quiz: media literacy & source criticism

Quiz questions:​

1. What does the „I“ in the SIFT method stand for?​

  • a) Identify the topic
  • b) Investigate the source
  • c) Ignore the headline
  • d) Interpret the data

2. What is „lateral reading“?​

  • a) Read a text through slowly several times
  • b) Judge a page by its logo and its design
  • c) Leave the page and check through other sources who is behind it
  • d) Only skim the headlines

3. A person innocently shares a false report that they believe to be true. What is this?​

  • a) Disinformation
  • b) Malinformation
  • c) Misinformation
  • d) Propaganda

4. What do social-media recommendation algorithms primarily optimise for?​

  • a) The truthfulness of the content
  • b) Engagement (time spent, clicks, reactions)
  • c) Balance of opinions
  • d) The well-being of users

5. What does more recent research (e.g. the Reuters Institute) say about the filter-bubble thesis?​

  • a) It is clearly confirmed
  • b) The empirical evidence for it is surprisingly weak; algorithms tend to lead to more diversity
  • c) Echo chambers affect the great majority of people
  • d) Filter bubble and echo chamber are the same thing

6. Which question best bundles the check for interests and bias?​

  • a) "How old is the source?"
  • b) "How many likes does the post have?"
  • c) "Cui bono: who benefits from this information?"
  • d) "Does the website look professional?"

7. According to this chapter, how should you use Wikipedia?​

  • a) Not at all, it is unreliable
  • b) As the only source, quoted directly
  • c) As a starting point, and then follow the references through to the primary sources
  • d) Only read the talk page

8. What does a „reviewed version“ (gesichtete Version) on the German Wikipedia mean?​

  • a) The content has been checked for factual accuracy by experts
  • b) An experienced user has checked the version for obvious vandalism
  • c) The article is locked
  • d) The article is finished and will not be changed again

9. What is the fastest method for exposing an „out-of-context“ photo?​

  • a) Read the caption several times
  • b) Check the number of likes
  • c) A reverse image search
  • d) Trust the EXIF data blindly

10. What is a particularly good way to recognise a reputable fact-checking provider?​

  • a) By its large following on social media
  • b) By its commitment to the IFCN code: transparency about sources, funding and method, and open corrections
  • c) By the fact that it always criticises the same political side
  • d) By a striking logo

Answers:​

  1. b) Investigate the source
  2. c) Leaving the page and checking via other sources who is behind it
  3. c) Misinformation
  4. b) Engagement (time spent, clicks, reactions)
  5. b) It is empirically surprisingly weakly supported; algorithms tend to lead to more diversity
  6. c) „Cui bono: who benefits from this information?“
  7. c) As a starting point, then following the references to the primary sources
  8. b) An experienced user has checked the version for obvious vandalism
  9. c) A reverse image search
  10. b) A commitment to the IFCN code