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Check the Claim: Did North Face put a giant winter jacket on Big Ben?

SKILL: Check the Claim

DIFFICULTY: Simple

SUBJECT(S): Pop Culture

Students use a keyword search to learn that this story about Big Ben sporting a giant North Face jacket as part of a marketing campaign is fabricated.

Related Lesson

CTRL-F Lesson 3: Check the Claim (sign-in required)

Link to Example

Big Ben goes North Face chic (Instagram)

About the Example

Note: If you can’t access Instagram at your school, you can access the video clip here, hosted on the CTRL-F YouTube channel. 

This Instagram reel shows a viral video clip: the famous London clock tower Big Ben clad in a giant yellow North Face jacket. The caption claims, “[i]n a striking blend of iconic heritage and modern style, The North Face’s latest ad campaign transforms London’s Big Ben into a trendsetter! It’s not every day you see a historical landmark sporting a Northy.” 

This clip has been widely re-shared across social media platforms, but is it real? We can use a keyword search (“Big Ben North Face jacket”) to check this claim. This quickly turns up a fact-check from Snopes debunking the story as creative CGI.



Activities

  1. Show students the Instagram reel, and ask them to identify the claim. 
  2. Have students check the claim using a keyword search (“Big Ben North Face jacket”).
  3. Ask students to select the “news” tab at the top of the search results page to filter the results for news organizations. 
  4. Have students click on the Snopes article and ask them what they find. Guiding questions:
    • Is the video authentic or fabricated? What did you learn from the Snopes article to help you decide? 
    • Why do you think this video was shared so widely on social media as authentic?
    • What are some possible consequences of sharing altered images or videos out of context?


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