Local 12: How to spot misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war
UC professor says outrage can be a tool of manipulation
Misinformation about the war between Israel and Hamas is abundant online, but there are ways to avoid falling for fake news, a University of Cincinnati professor told Local 12.
Many people have turned to social media for real-time updates about the conflict in Israel and Palestine. However, people should maintain some skepticism about what they're seeing online, said Jeffrey Blevins, PhD, a professor in UC's Department of Journalism and School of Public and International Affairs.
“If you see something and you are outraged by it, instead of just leaning into that outrage, you should be skeptical,” Blevins said. “Is someone trying to persuade me, manipulate me, to believe something that is not necessarily true?”
To avoid falling for misinformation, look to accredited news institutions for accurate information. Big news and horrific stories likely will be reported on by multiple outlets, so be wary of stories from a single source. Reverse image searches also can help determine if photos are legitimate.
Also, be wary of information that purports to come from a legitimate news organization but in reality is disinformation.
“So one of these videos for instance, it looks like it comes from BBC, which of course is reputable news outlet,” Blevins said. “But essentially they just took BBC’s logo and put it on this video which falsely suggests, I mean it looks like a news report, but it is suggesting that Ukraine had provided the weaponry to Hamas to help pull off this attack in Israel.”
Featured image at top: Jeffrey Blevins, PhD, professor in UC's Department of Journalism and School of Public and International Affairs. Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Will AI really replace your job?
February 6, 2026
As artificial intelligence seeps into more careers, some people wonder if any jobs will become obsolete in the coming years, according to 700WLW. Jeffrey Shaffer, director of Lindner College of Business’ Applied AI Lab, spoke with 700WLW on the future of AI in the workplace.
UC teams with historic landmark to preserve the past for the future
February 6, 2026
The landscape at Cincinnati’s historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House museum has settled in for winter, under a hard coat of frost and snow. But once spring rolls around, it will show a transformation, thanks in part to the history department at UC’s College of Arts and Sciences. The Beecher Stowe House, located at 2950 Gilbert Ave., serves as a hub for the community and historians interested in the life and political activism of the famed abolitionist. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the groundbreaking “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” while living there, and the home was a stop for fugitive enslaved people on the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War.
Portman Center gets DOE grant to improve civil discourse
February 6, 2026
The Portman Center for Policy Solutions at the University of Cincinnati received a nearly $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to improve civil political discourse.