Remember, when you post misinformation and refuse to take it down because of all the engagement or fake Internet points, *you are part of the problem*!!!

In this case it could have been avoided by reverse image searching, which shows the image was recently created with AI. Always look up the original source and corroborate the claims with reliable sources! I should have done this before boosting, but was lazy.

There's a lot of stuff about AI-generated image, video, or text "tells", but—as with good old Photoshopped images and emailed urban legends—the most reliable method is not to look at the content itself, but *find the original source*.

The source may show the content was:

- real but taken out of context (e.g. had a caption attached stating something false)
- real but unethically produced (e.g. posed/harassed wildlife)
- real and by an actual human being who should be credited
- originally from an ad agency, special effects artist, satire site, obscure TV show, generative AI, etc.
- called out as false by people in the comments