The method
Four moves. Under a minute.
Researchers call it SIFT. It works on a headline, a screenshot, a viral video or a text from “your bank.”
Stop
Feel a jolt of anger, fear or “no way”? That's the moment to pause. Strong emotion is the hook.
Investigate the source
Who posted it? Open a new tab and search the account or site. How old is it, and who else vouches for it?
Find better coverage
Search the claim itself. If it's real and big, several independent outlets will have it, with names attached.
Trace it back
Find the original quote, photo or study. Screenshots and clips lose context every time they're reposted.
Test yourself
Legit or sketchy?
Five made-up examples modeled on the stuff that actually lands in people's phones. Call it, then see why.
Red flags
Six tells that should slow you down.
A countdown
“Act in 24 hours or lose access.” Real institutions rarely give you minutes to decide.
A weird link
Look at the actual domain. usps.com is not usps-redeliver-help.co.
Odd payment
Gift cards, crypto, wire transfers, or a “small fee” to unlock a big prize. That's the scam.
Too-perfect video
A famous face pitching a giveaway or an investment. Voice and video are cheap to fake now.
No source, just vibes
“Sources say,” “they don't want you to know,” a screenshot with no link. Ask: says who?
It confirms everything you already thought
That's exactly when to check twice. Fakes are built to feel true to their target audience.
Why bother
The numbers.
US adults say they at least sometimes run into inaccurate news.
Pew Research Center, via SQ Magazine 2026of people in one study correctly identified every real and fake image and video they were shown.
iProov study, 2025experiments, 81,155 people: media-literacy training made people better at spotting fakes and much less likely to share them.
Huang et al., Communication Research, 2024Where the phrase comes from
Older than the internet.
“Stay woke” comes from Black American speech, where it meant staying alert to danger and deception. It's been argued over a lot lately. The original advice still holds.
“Stay woke” shows up as street slang in Black newspapers like the Houston Informer.
Lead Belly uses it on a recording about the Scottsboro Boys, warning listeners to stay alert in the Jim Crow South.
Novelist William Melvin Kelley writes “If You're Woke You Dig It” in The New York Times.
Erykah Badu's “Master Teacher” brings “I stay woke” to a new generation.
The phrase spreads widely online and becomes a contested political word.
The bro code
Before you hit share.
- I'll read past the headline.
- I'll check who posted it.
- I'll search for one other source.
- I won't pay, click or forward anything that's rushing me.
- If I got it wrong, I'll say so.