ST. LOUIS,MO (KMOX) - Digital images can be deceiving. Media Literacy expert Julie Smith says it's easy to create and spread misleading images online.
"Fake online photos can easily be believed, especially during breaking news events," points out Smith. She adds images can be cropped, altered or recycled.
Google reverse image search is one tool to use to validate photos.
The Poynter Institute's PolitiFact fact checking organization recently flagged an image of former boxer Mike Tyson that was shared on Facebook. The image showed him wearing an anti-vaccine slogan on a t-shirt. PolitiFact says their research determined the image was altered. They found a photo posted on Instagram months earlier of Tyson with a different graphic from his clothing line.
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