Vovkinsiteverified: how to tell a fact from a rumour online

An independent guide to checking information online. Not a media outlet, does not assess current affairs or public controversies, and is not connected with the former site on this domain. All examples are hypothetical.

Glossary

Glossary of terms

Information checking has collected plenty of words that sound impressive but mean fairly simple things. Here we explain them without unnecessary jargon, so that you can explain any of them to a parent or a child in a minute and show it straight away on a harmless example from your feed.

Once a phenomenon has a name, it is easier to notice in your own feed.

— Editor's note

How this section works: each definition is short and in plain words. Terms are grouped by meaning, not alphabetically.

Sources and context

Original source
The original document or record a story grew from: a report, an announcement, the original photo. Everything else is a retelling of it.
Context
The circumstances around a message: when, where, by whom and why it was said. Without context, even a true statement can mislead.
Quote out of context
A phrase lifted from a longer statement in a way that changes its meaning. For example, the start of the thought “this looks dangerous but is actually harmless” without its second half.
Verification
Checking that a message, photo or document really is what it is presented as: genuine, and belonging to the claimed time and place.

Content and fakes

Clickbait
A headline that promises more than the text delivers and is designed to get clicks out of curiosity or anxiety.
Viral content
A post, photo or video that spreads rapidly through sharing. How fast something spreads says nothing about whether it is reliable.
Deepfake
A video, image or voice created or altered by AI to make it seem that a real person said or did something they never did.
Bot
An account run by a program rather than a person. Bots can forward messages en masse and create the impression that everyone cares about a story.

Checking techniques

Metadata
Technical information stored inside a file: creation time, device, sometimes coordinates. Useful, but easily erased or faked.
Reverse image search
A search in which you upload a picture and the search engine shows similar images and the pages where they have appeared.
  • Tools

    Techniques to use when checking: reverse image search, date-limited search, web page archives, file properties, maps and street-level imagery.

  • Comparisons

    How an original source differs from a retelling and an opinion, and a photo from a drawing, a video still and an AI-generated picture.

  • Guides

    Step-by-step guides: how to check a viral story, find the original source, read news about a study and help your family. The article catalogue is here too.

  • Security

    Risks for the careful reader: emotional headlines, fake accounts, forged screenshots and cloned voices.

  • Questions

    Answers about the guide, about checking photos and texts, and about talking to parents and children about rumours.

Sources

  • Reference materials on media literacy and information checking (general principles)
  • Editorial materials of the Vovkinsite guide

The method is described in general terms as of the preparation date. Search engines, archives and forgery techniques change over time, so treat this advice as a way of reasoning rather than a final verdict on any particular post.