English · Première, Terminale (B1 to C2), Bac pro

Session 4: Check like a fact-checker: the Eiffel Tower on fire

Recap check
  1. What is a composite?
  2. What is reverse image search for?
  3. Why does the shark picture keep coming back?
Answer key
  1. A picture made from several pictures.
  2. Finding the first appearances of a picture.
  3. It plays on emotion and on hurricane news.
Question : How do professionals check a shocking story?

Objectives

Today's language goal

To report what a fact-checker found and give a clear verdict, we need the words of verification (claim, footage, evidence, upload, verdict, VFX) and reported speech (AFP said that the images were created with visual effects).

Documents

The viral post

January 2024. A TikTok video viewed millions of times shows the Eiffel Tower in flames. Similar pictures come back in June 2024, a month before the Paris Olympics.

Fact-checks : AFP Fact Check

"Footage viewed millions of times on social media appears to show the Eiffel Tower, in the heart of Paris, France, on fire. But this is false; the images were created using visual effects (VFX) and do not show real events."
AFP Fact Check, 2024

Grammar lesson: reported speech: say, explain, claim

To report what a fact-checker found and give a clear verdict, we need reported speech: say, explain, claim
For the teacher: how to run it (8 to 10 minutes)
  1. Read AFP: “this is false; the images were created using visual effects.” Ask: how do we write this in our fact-check without quotation marks?
  2. Write: AFP said (that) the images had been created / were created using visual effects. Explain the backshift, and that it is optional when the fact is still true.
  3. List reporting verbs and their meaning: say, explain, claim, confirm, deny. Students copy.
  4. Quick check, then exercises, then the five-line fact-check.
On the board, to copy

Rule

To report what someone said, use a reporting verb + that + clause. After a past reporting verb, the tense usually moves one step back. Choose the verb carefully: claim casts doubt, confirm gives proof.

Form

  • say (that) / explain (that) / claim (that) / confirm (that) / deny (that) + clause.
  • Backshift after a past verb: is → was, are → were, has → had, will → would.
  • No backshift if the reporting verb is in the present or if the fact is still true: AFP says the images are fake.
  • say something / tell someone: AFP told readers that ...

Use

  • claim: for the viral post (we doubt it).
  • explain, confirm: for the fact-checker (we trust the evidence).
  • deny: when someone says something is not true.

Examples from the lesson

  • The video claimed that the Eiffel Tower was on fire.
  • AFP explained that the images were created using visual effects.
  • The creator confirmed that the video was VFX.
  • Live webcams showed that the tower was intact.

Common mistakes

  • Not AFP said me that ..., but AFP told me that ... / AFP said that ...
  • Not The post claimed the tower is on fire. (in a past story), but The post claimed the tower was on fire.
  • Not AFP explained the images are made with VFX? (question mark), but AFP explained that the images were made with VFX.
  • Not He denied that it was not fake., but He denied that it was real.

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Report each sentence, starting with the words given.

  1. “The tower is on fire.” The post claimed that ...
  2. “The images are VFX.” AFP explained that ...
  3. “I made it with software.” The creator said that ...
Show the answers

1. ... the tower was on fire. 2. ... the images were VFX. 3. ... he had made it with software.

Exercises

EntryRecognition. Underline the reporting verb and say if it shows doubt (D) or confirmation (C).

  1. The TikTok video claimed that the tower was burning.
  2. AFP confirmed that the footage was VFX.
  3. Live feeds showed that the tower was intact.
  4. Some users claimed it was an attack.
  5. The creator admitted that he had used visual effects.
  6. Officials denied any fire.
Show the answers

1. claimed, D. 2. confirmed, C. 3. showed, C. 4. claimed, D. 5. admitted, C. 6. denied, C (they deny the claim).

CoreTransformation. Report each sentence in the past.

  1. “The Eiffel Tower is on fire.” (the post claimed)
  2. “The images were created using visual effects.” (AFP explained)
  3. “The tower is open today.” (the website said)
  4. “I uploaded the video in July 2023.” (the creator said)
  5. “We will check the live feed.” (the journalists said)
  6. “This video has been viewed millions of times.” (AFP said)
  7. “It is not real.” (fact-checkers told users)
Show the answers

1. The post claimed that the Eiffel Tower was on fire. 2. AFP explained that the images had been created using visual effects. 3. The website said that the tower was open that day. 4. The creator said that he had uploaded the video in July 2023. 5. The journalists said that they would check the live feed. 6. AFP said that the video had been viewed millions of times. 7. Fact-checkers told users that it was not real.

StretchProduction. Write the five-line fact-check: the claim (claimed), two checks (explained, showed), the verdict.

Show the answers

For example: Claim: in January 2024, a TikTok video claimed that the Eiffel Tower was on fire. Check 1: AFP explained that the footage had first been uploaded on YouTube in July 2023 with the title Eiffel Tower burning VFX. Check 2: live webcams showed that the tower was intact. Verdict: false. The images were created using visual effects.

Going further (for students heading to language studies)Advanced. Report questions and orders, then choose a precise reporting verb.

  1. “Is the tower really burning?” a user asked.
  2. “Do not share this video!” AFP warned.
  3. “We made a mistake,” the account said. (admit)
Show the answers

1. A user asked whether (if) the tower was really burning. 2. AFP warned users not to share the video. 3. The account admitted that it had made a mistake. Reported questions keep the order subject + verb; orders use tell / warn + someone + (not) to.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryMatch: claim, footage, evidence, verdict, upload.

  1. the final decision: true or false
  2. what a post says is true
  3. film recorded by a camera
  4. facts that prove something
  5. to put a file online
Show the answers

1. verdict. 2. claim. 3. footage. 4. evidence. 5. upload.

CoreWhat does VFX mean? Find the original upload in the documents.

Show the answers

Visual effects. A YouTube video titled Eiffel Tower burning VFX, uploaded in July 2023.

StretchSort the evidence: a live webcam, the creator's comment, other media. Which is the strongest, and why?

Show the answers

The live webcam: it shows the tower at the moment of the claim, intact. The creator's comment admits it is VFX. Other media confirm nothing happened.

Activities

  1. List AFP's steps: reverse search, finding the original upload (a YouTube video titled Eiffel Tower burning VFX, July 2023), checking live feeds of the tower.
  2. Sort the evidence: what we see (live webcam), what we read (creator's comment), what we compare (other media).
  3. Explore Full Fact's checks on viral pictures: fullfact.org.
  4. Write a five-line fact-check: claim, checks, verdict.

Exercise

Put the method in order: a. give a verdict; b. find the first upload; c. read the claim; d. contact or consult a reliable source; e. compare with other media.
Answer keyc, b, d, e, a.

Figures of speech in the documents

Metaphor: the heart of Paris

AFP: “Footage viewed millions of times on social media appears to show the Eiffel Tower, in the heart of Paris, France, on fire.”

A city has no heart: the word means its centre, its most important place. This metaphor makes the fake fire more shocking: it seems to hit Paris in its most vital part. Fakes often target symbols for this reason.

EntryWhat does “the heart of Paris” mean?

Show the answers

The centre of Paris, its most important place.

CoreWhy do fake videos often choose a symbol like the Eiffel Tower?

Show the answers

Because a symbol provokes strong emotion, so people share before checking.

StretchWrite a headline with a metaphor of the body for a fake story.

Show the answers

For example: Fake fire strikes the heart of Paris, but only on screens.

Gap-fill worksheet

Word bank : VFX, upload, webcam, verdict, claim

  1. The fire was made with visual effects, or ______.
  2. AFP found the original ______ on YouTube.
  3. A live ______ showed the tower standing.
  4. A fact-check ends with a ______.
  5. A fact-check starts by reading the ______.
Answer key
  1. VFX
  2. upload
  3. webcam
  4. verdict
  5. claim

Expression task

Now say it

Write a five-line fact-check on the Eiffel Tower video: claim, checks, verdict.

EntryThree lines: what the video claimed, one check, the verdict.

CoreFive lines with three reporting verbs and two pieces of evidence.

StretchReport one question or warning, and name the strongest evidence.

Tools to use:

Show a model answer

Claim: a TikTok video viewed millions of times claimed that the Eiffel Tower was on fire. Check: AFP explained that the footage had been uploaded on YouTube in July 2023 as a VFX video. Check: live webcams showed that the tower was intact. Evidence: the strongest is the live feed. Verdict: false, the images were created with visual effects.

Levels

LevelAdjustment
Première (B1)Four illustrated steps.
Terminale (B1 to B2)Use the passive: the video was created, the claim was checked.
C1/C2 extensionCompare two fact-checking outlets: tone, method, transparency.
Bac proPresent the fact-check orally like a TV report.

Homework

On AFP Fact Check, Reuters Fact Check or Full Fact, pick a check about a picture on a neutral topic (weather, animals, monuments, celebrities). Summarise it in five lines with the method used.
Answer keyModel answer: the summary states the claim, the method (reverse search, source contacted), the verdict (false, misleading, out of context) and the date of the check.