A viral meme going around seems to suggest President Joe Biden is knowingly escalating the Russia/Ukraine conflict into “World War III.”

The meme is made up of two photos: The top, older photo claims Biden said sending tanks to Ukraine would start World War III. But the bottom, more recent photo is Biden announcing his decision to send tanks to Ukraine. Are we really on the brink of World War III?

Here’s how we fact-checked it.

Check the bio

We just passed the year anniversary of the Ukraine/Russian conflict, and if there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s this: During times of war, there is chaos and uncertainty, perfect conditions for misinformation to spread.

So, the first place to start is to figure out who the post is coming from. If you know a bit about the person, you can estimate whether they are a reliable source. Are they a journalist? A politician? A celebrity? This can clue you into their agenda and their credibility.

In this case, the poster’s name is TaraBull. According to her Twitter bio, she is into stocks, NFTs and crypto and has made an appearance on Fox Business. TaraBull may not have enough knowledge to speak on this subject as, for example, a reputable journalist or a government official would. So we need to dig deeper.

Find reliable evidence

The next step is to find reliable evidence: Where does this Biden quote come from? Neither the meme nor the caption include any links, and that’s a red flag.

So, I did a keyword search for “Biden speech white house ukraine russia conflict.” The meme says Biden said the quote on March 11, 2022, so I set the search to find results from just that day. To use that filter in a Google search, go to tools, click the dropdown menu that says “any time,” click custom range and customize the dates. Here I found the White House transcript of Biden’s original speech.

Reading upstream

This is a perfect example of a media literacy tip called reading upstream — going directly to the source. In this case, we needed to find the whole speech.

Then, to find the quote within the speech and its context, I used command+f and searched for the word “tanks,” which brought me to the exact line.

The full quote says: “The idea that we’re going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understand — and don’t kid yourself, no matter what you all say — that’s called World War III.”

So, Biden did not say that just sending tanks to Ukraine would start World War III. He said sending tanks along with “American pilots and American crews” could start World War III.

Rating

Not Legit: This tweet implying that World War III could happen is inaccurate and missing important context. When you look at Biden’s actual speech, you can see he did not say that sending tanks would start World War III. He specified that sending troops, trains and tanks would be an act of war.

It’s important to keep in mind that in the midst of war, it’s best to pay attention to reputable sources and not a micro-influencer’s Twitter account. Language is a weapon, and describing this or any conflict with the phrase “World War III” only sows fear. Before you trust a tweet that global war is starting, check it out on your own.

NOTE TO TEACHERS: This article is featured in a free, one-hour lesson plan that teaches students about out-of-context quotes, how to spot them and how to find the full quote. The lesson is available through PBS LearningMedia, and includes a lesson summary and a handout, among other resources.