Which concept refers to confirming that information is accurate before accepting or sharing it — using primary sources, multiple accounts, and strategies like SIFT and lateral reading rather than gut reaction or assumption?

• A. Civic Responsibility
• B. Targeted Content
• C. Media Consumer
• D. Verification

Answer: (D)

Verifying information means checking its accuracy before you accept it or share it. It relies on primary sources, multiple independent accounts, and deliberate strategies like Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims (SIFT) as well as lateral reading—checking what other credible sources say about the author or site. This careful due-diligence helps you avoid spreading misinformation that can come from gut reactions or single, unreliable posts. That makes verification the best fit here because it names the active process of confirming facts before acting on them. Civic responsibility is about being a good citizen in a broader sense but doesn’t specify the steps for checking facts. Targeted content refers to how information is aimed at you, and media consumer describes the role of the person engaging with media, not the action of verifying information.