Evaluate Expertise: Millions of patriots?

Background

Early in 2022 Canada experienced an unprecedented level of protest in Ottawa. The ‘Freedom Convoy’ began with a weekend demonstration, drawing truckers and others from across the country, and evolved into a three-week occupation of the city. The events were sparked by Canada’s introduction of a requirement for truckers crossing the Canada-US border to be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, the protest served to draw a range of people with concerns about mandates designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Of particular concern to many observers was the hate espoused by some participants and the anti-democratic goals of some organizers, who wished to force the elected government out of office. The event became a lightning rod for frustration over COVID-19 measures, and sparked solidarity protests across Canada and around the world.

About the Example

This tweet was created and shared during the time of the protesters, as a form of parody, with the intent to troll convoy protestors. To anyone familiar with Toronto landmarks, the claim that the image depicts the Ottawa protests is clearly false, as the CN Tower is visible in the background. However, to those without that knowledge, the claim could appear true, and some convoy supporters retweeted this as a demonstration of the power of the movement.

Activities

This example may be used as part of CTRL-F Lesson 4: Trace the Information or as a standalone practice example.

1. Ask students what they know about the ‘Freedom Convoy,’ and fill in any contextual gaps required.

2. Ask students to review the example tweet, and describe its contents. (Keen observers might notice right away that the CN Tower is in the background, that the city is not Ottawa, but Toronto.)

3. To find the original source of this image, have students conduct a reverse search by right-clicking the tweet image and selecting “Search image with Google Lens.”

4. Review the results. (Note: Google will show images that are similar, but not the same, so direct comparison will be required.) You should see that the exact image appears in a Toronto Star slideshow with the headline “The best photos from the Raptors parade that drove Toronto wild.”

5. Discuss the intention behind the tweet with students, asking why someone might have created this. If necessary, point out that the tweet was created as a joke to make fun of convoy supporters. Have students investigate the accounts that retweeted the post to see who shared it. Questions:

• • What might people think of this image if they weren’t in on the joke?
  • Why might someone share this as real? What message would they wish to convey?
  • If a joke is shared as real, does it have the potential to cause harm?

Review and Discuss Key Concepts (optional)

6. Review the key term false context with students: ”Accurate content that is shared with false or misleading contextual information to create an overall impression that is misleading or untrue.” Because it is so easy to add a false claim to a true image or article, a lot of the mis- and disinformation online spreads this way.

7. Review the concept of Poe’s Law — “An internet adage stating that without a clear statement of the author’s intent, there is no joke, parody, or satire that is self-evidently so. There is no view so extreme that it won’t be mistaken by at least some people as sincere.” Even if something is created as a joke, the internet doesn’t make context clear, and it is always possible for a joke to be taken seriously by others.

Related Resources

LESSON: CTRL-F Lesson 4: Trace the Information
LESSON: Questioning Images — Visual literacy activity that incorporates images from the Freedom Convoy from news organizations with different perspectives.
VIDEO: Information Pollution (3 minutes)
VIDEO: CIVIX Explains: Forms of Misinformation (2:25 minutes)