Keeping an eye out for AI: Professor offers media literacy tips to spot fake news

 

Keeping an eye out for AI: UW-River Falls professor offers media literacy tips to spot fake news

July 23, 2026 — What content are you scrolling through? Where is it leading you? Is any of what you see real? Those are some of the questions University of Wisconsin-River Falls Stage and Screen Arts Professor Erik Johnson would like people to think about.

The idea of media literacy is not new, but fast-changing technology means we are now faced with a constant barrage of information.

“I think it has only become more a part of our lives with smartphones and social media,” Johnson said. 

In his media literacy classes at UWRF, Johnson teaches students how to use media more intentionally, how to spot fake news and even how to create it, with the goal of making them more resistant to misinformation. Johnson has also taught a statewide course called Social Media, Fake News and You, Why Media Literacy Matters, through the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Online & Professional Learning Resources (OPLR). Participants in those classes include everyone from high school students to retirees, who may have very different habits when it comes to media consumption.

Johnson said artificial intelligence (AI) has made misinformation increasingly difficult to spot, especially when it comes to digitally altered videos.

“It's just becoming more and more challenging to differentiate between what's real and what is a deep fake,” Johnson said. “Technology has evolved to the point where when a breaking headline comes out, it's under skepticism.”

Johnson teaches students to analyze what they see and look for telltale signs of fake news. Anyone can benefit from learning those signs, he said.

“Think about the plausibility of it,” Johnson said. “Is it real and why? Consider the source. Where did you see it? Who is behind it? Does it have a sensational headline? Try to look at a variety of examples and draw your conclusions.” 

One example his class reviewed claimed the recent Artemis II mission to the moon was faked because a supposedly official photo showed a cloud formation identical to one in a photo from an Apollo mission taken decades ago. However, the Artemis II photo was AI-generated and posted on Facebook.

Johnson had students create their own fake content to show them how easy it can be. The projects were clearly labeled as fake and were not posted online, but some students were uncomfortable even creating the misleading work, saying it violated their ethics. Johnson said thinking about what is ethical or unethical use of AI is part of the point.

“AI is here to stay,” he said. “You might as well understand it. Like anything else, it’s a tool and it’s all about how you use it.”

Another important part of the process was for students to evaluate how they consumed media. They tracked their consumption for a week and kept a log with the goal of becoming more deliberate in what they sought out.

“We’d talk about what's passive and what’s active,” Johnson said. “Is it doom scrolling or are you researching and looking for a specific thing? Are you being led down paths that you’re not aware of? That really opens some eyes in terms of how people become conditioned to that consumption.”

Johnson said the ultimate takeaway is awareness. 

“The goal is that once they're done with the class, it's a springboard to the rest of their lives,” he said. “I think that’s the goal of pretty much any class, to have that practical application.”

Photo: UW-River Falls Stage and Screen Arts Professor Erik Johnson shows an example of a fake news social media post. Johnson teaches students in his media literacy course how to use media more deliberately and avoid being fooled by fake content generated by AI. UWRF photo.