If you slipped
Fixing problems
Everyone who reads the internet makes mistakes, including the most careful. What matters is not that you once believed something made up, but what you do when it comes to light. Here are answers for awkward situations.
A correction posted in the same chat works better than quietly deleting the message.
How this section works: we describe everyday situations in general terms. There are no judgements on real events here, only ways to sort things out calmly and correct a mistake.
If something went wrong
I forwarded a story and it turned out to be made up. Should I delete the message?
You can, but that is not enough: many people have already read it. It is better to post a short correction in the same place where you shared the story and say what you found out.
A relative believes a chain message about household appliances. How do I talk to them?
Without mockery. Ask where the advice came from and suggest looking at the manufacturer's manual together. People change their minds more easily when they find the answer themselves than when they are told off.
Nobody in an argument can find where a story came from. Who is right?
As long as there is no source, the most honest thing to say is “not confirmed”. The lack of a rebuttal does not make a story true, and the lack of confirmation does not yet prove it was invented.
People keep blaming me for a mistake I corrected long ago. What should I do?
Share a link to your correction and do not get drawn into a long argument. If you acknowledged the error openly, that is enough.
I am not sure the story is true, but it is everywhere already. What now?
Wide circulation is not confirmation. Wait until the original source or an expert explanation appears, and do not add one more forward.
If you shared wrong information
Admit the mistake to yourself
Do not look for excuses like “everyone was forwarding it”. Calmly accept that the story was not confirmed — that is the first step towards correcting it.
Work out what exactly was wrong
Figure out where the error was: in the date, the place, the photo caption or the claim itself. That way your correction will be precise.
Post the correction in the same place
Say in the same chat or under the same post that the story was not confirmed and briefly explain why. If you have a link to the original source, include it.
Edit or delete the original message
If the platform allows it, add a note to the old post or remove it so that it is not forwarded any further.
Let those who passed it on know
If you know who received the story from you, message them personally. It takes little time and stops the chain.
Learn for next time
Think about which question would have helped you notice the mistake in advance. Usually it is a question about the author or the date.
Read next
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.