Real or not real? Double-checking Trump, National Guard social posts
A University of Portland assistant professor said conflicting reports online show the importance of seeking trustworthy sources for accurate information online.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Social media is playing a central role in the debate surrounding the standoff at Portland’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, where opposing views on federal involvement are spreading rapidly across digital platforms.
Social feeds are filled with conflicting takes on the Trump administration’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops in U.S. cities — and for many, it’s hard to know what’s real.
“You’ve seen the videos, the social media messages,” said Dr. Ashley Hass, who teaches social media, marketing and analytics at the University of Portland. “If it’s really provocative or kind-of outlandish, something you’re like, ‘This just feels a little weird,’ I would go and double check the source.”
Hass said it’s important to dig deeper to understand the full context of what’s being shown or posted online.
“It’s OK to get things from multiple sources, so that’s where I think that triangulation, making sure, ‘I see this is happening,’ and going to the source is really important,” she said.
One example: a TikTok post claimed a Portland Police Bureau liaison officer was standing up to ICE and threatening to arrest them, but a separate, longer video clip appeared to show the officer instead directing a driver away from a closed area near the ICE building. It’s the same situation, but different “takes” on what’s happening.
“I would go again and find that longer soundbite because especially with social media — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok — it’s smaller versions of media, right? It’s only clips here and there,” Hass said.
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She added that considering the source of a post is just as important as the content itself.
KGW reporters were able to question U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem during her visit to Portland, but only conservative social media representatives were invited to join her tour of the ICE facility — not mainstream media.
“We’re in these echo chambers where you’re liking content and saying things that’s one of your political affiliations versus another,” Hass said.
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Hass teaches her students to practice critical thinking and ask open-ended questions to better understand what they see online.
“They’re good at discerning, especially AI,” she said. “They have the eye to see, ‘Yeah, that’s not real.’”
Hass predicts that within five years, new artificial intelligence tools will help detect altered videos. In the meantime, she said ethics should guide people’s decisions about what they post and share.
“What impact am I having to the world and society? How am I making this space better?” she said.
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And while online spaces can be powerful, Hass said it’s just as important to log off and experience the world firsthand.
“I am hopeful in that regard because I think people are waking up to more than just doom scrolling,” she said.
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