{"id":36,"date":"2026-04-05T17:23:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T17:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jakedesousa.com\/?p=36"},"modified":"2026-04-05T17:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T17:23:20","slug":"how-easy-is-it-to-manipulate-information-online-a-look-at-rumorguard-and-harmony-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jakedesousa.com\/?p=36","title":{"rendered":"How Easy Is It to Manipulate Information Online? A Look at RumorGuard and Harmony Square!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Misinformation has become one of the biggest challenges online because false or misleading information can spread quickly and influence how people think, react, and make decisions. For my blog post, I explored RumorGuard and Harmony Square to better understand how misinformation works, how it spreads, and how interactive tools can help people recognize them as well. Both tools showed me that misinformation is not always obvious, which is why media literacy is so important!!!<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Understanding Misinfromation Through   -RumorGuard<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      RumorGuard is a tool created by the News Literacy Project that helps people recognize and understand misinformation by breaking down real examples of viral posts and claims online. When I used the site, I noticed that it does not just say whether something is true or false. Instead, it explains why a claim is misleading by walking through specific factors like the source, the evidence, the context, and whether the information is authentic. The homepage shows current examples of misinformation, and when you click on one, it gives a clear explanation along with a \u201ctakeaway\u201d that helps you apply what you learned to other situations! Honestly, I found this really helpful because there are times I see things online and just stop paying attention since I am not sure what is real or not. RumorGuard makes it easier to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed because it shows you how to actually break things down instead of just guessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
     What stood out to me is that RumorGuard teaches you how to think, not just what to believe. It uses a system of credibility factors\u2014like checking if the source is reliable, if there is actual evidence, and if the information is taken out of context\u2014to help you evaluate information on your own. This made it feel more practical because I could see how I would use those same steps when scrolling through social media. Overall, I would say RumorGuard is effective because it turns misinformation into something you can actually break down and understand instead of just reacting to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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RumorGuard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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These examples from RumorGuard show how a viral claim\u2014like the one about Iran releasing a list of U.S. target cities\u2014is analyzed step by step. The platform starts by presenting the claim, then breaks it down by labeling it as false and explaining why it is misleading, and finally applies credibility factors like source, evidence, and context to show how the information should be evaluated!!!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n