As the rise of disinformation continues and, increasingly, individuals are getting their news from social media, it’s crucial for communicators to be vigilant and able to verify the legitimacy of content being shared widely. They need the knowledge to effectively assess images, recognize deepfakes — highly realistic images or videos generated by machine learning — and call in or call out influencers who spread misleading content.
These individuals, often referred to as news influencers, belong to a new class of citizen journalists. They use social media and emerging technologies to share current events, trends and opinions. While their reach can be massive — at least 100,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube — they are not always held to the same ethical standard as traditional journalists, making it even more important to verify the content they share.
The reality is that your organization’s reputation can be easily influenced by news influencers who often prioritize their personal causes over traditional codes of conduct. This makes it even more important to ensure that content shared by influencers is accurate and trustworthy.
How News Influencers Are Shaping Public Opinion
A Pew Research Center survey highlights the growing authority of news influencers in today’s media landscape: 21% of U.S. adults and 37% of young adults aged 18-29 get most of their news from news influencers’ social media postings.
More mportantly, over 65% of American followers believe that news influencers have helped them truly understand current events, fads and trends. There’s no reason to believe this figure would differ significantly in other countries.
Overall, news influencers continue to attract and sustain a loyal following. Many followers place trust in their messages, even when some spread misinformation or use manipulative tactics. Being able to recognize misleading content, especially visuals, is an essential skill in today’s media landscape.
4 Ways to Spot an Altered Image
The concept of doctored photos is not new, with examples dating back to the 1800s, but the rise of AI and related tools is making it easier to create altered images that look anything but. As a recent example, in March 2024, Kate Middleton faced wide public scrutiny when it was revealed that her team published a doctored family photo. While the realm of celebrity may seem removed from everyday communications, this incident serves as a reminder of how to identify altered images. Here are some tips to help you spot a manipulated photo.
Reflections, Shadows and Lighting
- Abnormal lighting is one of the first clues to an altered image. Pay attention to the points of light in people's eyes. If the size or color of the reflections doesn’t match the light source in the image, it may be a red flag.
- Shadows may not align properly in an altered image. If the image has been pieced together from different photos, notice how the light interacts with the subject's face. For instance, if the sun is behind a person, check if their ears appear unusually red or if the shadows don’t match up correctly.
- AI-generated images often exhibit inconsistent lighting and shadows. As algorithms improve, AI-generated faces may look unnervingly realistic, often surpassing human faces in perceived authenticity.
Metadata and Digital Fingerprints
- Nuggets of information are hidden within the coding of images. Known as metadata, this information may help pinpoint a fake. Every time a digital camera captures an image, it embeds metadata into the image file, including information such as time stamps. These details can help verify when and where an image was taken, aiding in the detection of manipulated photos.
Verification Tools
Hands and Ears
What Can Communicators Do?
The rise of news influencers, combined with their ability to share altered or AI-generated images, poses a significant challenge for maintaining trust. Deepfakes are particularly dangerous in the hands of influencers with large audiences. These tools give them immense power to shape public opinion, spread misinformation or amplify disinformation campaigns.
To counteract this, communicators must stay educated and proactive. Learn to spot fake, doctored or AI-generated images and train your teams to do the same. Meanwhile, AI technologies are being developed to identify fake content based on dimensions undetectable by humans. Stay vigilant in monitoring news influencers’ content, verify the authenticity of images before engaging with or sharing them, and maintain a commitment to truth in the face of evolving digital challenges.