If you were to encounter In Event of Moon Disaster for the first time in your newsfeed, it might be difficult to detect signs of manipulation or falsity. While many deepfakes reveal their own fabrication by way of glaring giveaways in their design, IEOMD makes it nearly impossible to visually detect deepfakery at work.

Still, context can be revealing. What kind of captions, titles, or disclaimers could help to frame or situate this video? Or, perhaps a lack of these paratextual materials could also be very telling, and serve as encouragement to pause, reflect, and try to learn more.

Corroborate the video with other sources. Is the “news” we are seeing reported on anywhere else? If so, where?

Research what the video is communicating. Consider what credible sources you might read or watch to better understand the Apollo 11 mission.