MEDIABIAS.fyi

Check a claim before you share it

Student classroom project CSU-inspired and independently produced — not an official Columbus State University website.

Media literacy for Columbus, Georgia

How Online Information Shapes Search Results

Media literacy in Columbus. Anyone can publish a page. Search engines can surface it. Neither publication nor ranking, by itself, proves that the information is accurate or independent.

Use the 60-second checkOpen the live demo

Before you share: a 60-second check

  1. 01 · Stop

    What is the claim?

    Separate the checkable statement from the headline, image and reaction around it.

  2. 02 · Investigate

    Who published it?

    Look for the author, organization, date, evidence and reason the page exists.

  3. 03 · Corroborate

    Who else confirms it?

    Find independent coverage. Repetition from the same original source is not corroboration.

  4. 04 · Trace

    Where did it begin?

    Open the study, record, document, full video or original statement whenever possible.

Three labels, three different problems

Misinformation is false information shared by someone who believes it is true. Disinformation is false information created or spread deliberately. Malinformation starts with genuine information but uses it out of context or in a way intended to cause harm.

Intent is often hard to establish from a post alone. Check the claim and its evidence first. Do not turn uncertainty into an accusation.

Anyone can publish online

A polished page can be built by one person, a class, a company or a newsroom. Search engines may index and rank all of them. A high result can be useful, but it is not a certificate of truth, independence or importance.

Look for the original source, the author or organization behind the page, the date, and independent corroboration. Ten pages repeating one original claim are still one source.

Our publishing experiment: one name, many possible matches

We created a sourced public profile for David “DJ” Galarza, a Columbus State University club-football player. The page combines public roster, school, Hudl and social-profile details into one readable place.

That is a publishing experiment, not proof that we changed search rankings. We have not verified a ranking outcome or a causal effect. The lesson is that a page becomes easier to distinguish from namesakes when it includes corroborating details such as city, school, position, jersey number and matching public profiles.

More detail does not automatically mean more truth. It gives a reader more specific claims to cross-check.

Independent credit is different from self-publishing

Finley Delouche's photography has been independently credited by publications including Fortune, Texas Public Radio/NPR and Undark. Those credits are evidence that the publications attribute those images to him.

The David profile, by contrast, is a page our team assembled from public sources. Both can appear in search. Their provenance is different, and neither kind of page proves unrelated claims about the person.

A Columbus discussion: data centers

Community discussion about data centers is a useful second example because a single project can generate many different claims: location, power or water use, public cost, jobs, tax treatment and neighborhood effects.

Do not begin by labeling a claim false or accusing a speaker of bad intent. Break it into checkable parts, then compare permits, utility or planning records, meeting minutes, direct statements and independent reporting. Record the source and date for each conclusion, including what remains unknown.

Live demonstration

Example artifact

David Galarza profile

Identify which claims are first-party, which link to independent records and which remain unverified.

Open profile → Vocabulary

MDM explainer

Compare misinformation, disinformation and malinformation without assuming intent.

Read explainer → Method

The four moves

Stop, investigate the source, find better coverage and trace the claim to its origin.

Use the method → Practice

Spot the fake

Apply the method to short situations and compare your confidence with the evidence.

Start the exercise →

Sources used in this example

  1. National Club Football Association — David Galarza player record2026 season roster record; current availability may change.
  2. Columbus State University — Club FootballUniversity page confirming the program is club football.
  3. Fortune — bird flu and seasonal influenza articlePublished January 3, 2025; updated February 13, 2025; image credit names Finley Delouche/Getty Images.
  4. Texas Public Radio/NPR — “Why scientists’ fears about bird flu are intensifying”Published January 28, 2025; image credit names Finley Delouche/Getty Images.
  5. Undark — animal agriculture and public health articlePublished February 13, 2025; visual credit names Finley Delouche/iStock/Getty Images Plus.
  6. Columbus State University - Brand Identity GuidelinesOfficial colors used for this student-project page: Columbus State Blue #003359 and Columbus State Red #c60c30.