A viral screenshot can be faked, cropped, or years old. Media literacy is the habit of separating fact from opinion and verifying before you share — checking who said it, when, and whether anyone else confirms it.
Read like a journalist
A fact can be checked against evidence; an opinion is a judgment that reasonable people can dispute. 'The bill passed 5 to 2' is a fact. 'The bill was a mistake' is an opinion. Good journalism keeps them clearly separated — and so should good readers.
Tap a statement to toggle its label. A fact can be checked; an opinion is a judgment.
Label each statement fact or opinion, then check. A fact makes a testable claim; an opinion expresses a value or preference.
Ask: who published this, and what is their aim? Is the claim sourced? Does another independent outlet report the same thing? A dramatic headline that appears nowhere else is a red flag.
- Take a surprising claim from social media (real or invented).
- List the checks you would run: original source, date, other outlets, expert consensus.
- Decide: would you share it, hold it, or reject it — and on what basis?
- Write one sentence separating the factual part of the claim from any opinion mixed in.
What you should see: You ran a verification routine and practiced pulling checkable facts apart from opinion — the core of media literacy.