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Politics
Politics | Theory of knowledge | Form Time

Innocent man blamed for Kirk shooting

False accusations: After being incorrectly named online as having shot Charlie Kirk, people accused Canadian Michael Mallinson of being 'pure evil', a 'liberal boomer lunatic', and a 'far-left extremist' with a Ukrainian connection.

Can we learn to spot misinformation? 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been identified as the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk. But before him, social media blamed Michael Mallinson, a Canadian pensioner.

Comprehension quiz

  1. What is the definition of “casualty” as it is used in the text?

    A: Someone who is severely injured in an accident or battle.

    B: A person who is wrongly targeted by something negative, such as a smear campaign.

    C: Someone who causes harm to others through their actions.

    D: A person who is killed in a violent event.

  2. Which word or phrase has the closest meaning to “torrent”?

    A: Forceful stream

    B: Drizzle

    C: Slight trickle

    D: Calm

  3. Why was Michael Mallinson wrongly identified as the suspect in the crime?

  4. According to the text, what is the ‘S’ in the Sift method and why is it important?

  5. Identify two reasons from the article why it can be difficult to spot misinformation.

  6. In your own words, explain the difference between misinformation and disinformation as implied by the text.

Answers

Tap to reveal
1. B, 2. A, 3. He was targeted because fake social media account posing as a news outlet falsely claimed he was the shooter., 4. Stop, 5. Several reasons., 6. Based on the text, misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread, regardless of intent, whereas disinformation is implied to be deliberately false information created to deceive or mislead.
1. B, 2. A, 3. He was targeted because fake social media account posing as a news outlet falsely claimed he was the shooter., 4. Stop, 5. Several reasons., 6. Based on the text, misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread, regardless of intent, whereas disinformation is implied to be deliberately false information created to deceive or mislead.