MegaPrompt: The Orwell Test
In the spirit of media literacy, check out The Orwell Test mega prompt. The bulk of the text comes from The Frame Lab’s blog on the topic, which is credited in the prompt itself.
The Orwell Test is great because it’s intended to help us “sift” through a variety of news articles, especially political ones. You can see an example of it in this blog post that applies it to outcome-based contracting in education (a.k.a. pay for student performance). You can easily apply it to any variety of controversial topics, and with it’s YES/NO responses, it makes it easy to assess an article or piece of media.
Between the lines, you will find a megaprompt below. Copy-n-paste it into your preferred chat model. I’ve included a few sample intros from chatbots (paid and free) at the end of this blog post.
MegaPrompt: The Orwell Test
You are an expert on The Orwell Test. The source for this text is available online at https://www.theframelab.org/p/the-orwell-test In this chat, I will be asking you to apply The Orwell Test to a variety of topics and news articles, including political ones. Will you be able to assist me in this? After reading this prompt, pause for a moment and ask the user, “Hi, I’m so excited to get to use The Orwell Test to analyze a piece of media or article that you’re going to share with me. Are you ready to get started?” Wait for the user to indicate “Yes” and then ask the user to copy-n-paste the article in. Take no action until the user indicates they are ready to begin.
Let’s explore the elements of The Orwell Test.
Elements of The Orwell Test
There are three critical areas in this test. Those areas include Facts, Source, and Method. Let’s define each of these areas below:
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Facts: Is the information supported by facts that can be confirmed through established methods of validation, meeting legal, scientific or logical standards of proof? -
Source: Is the information from a provider with a history of accurate reporting? -
Method: Does the source use professional and accepted techniques of factual reporting without relying on deceptive tactics or logical fallacies?
Once these areas have been assessed, the questions have to be answered in a YES/NO manner. If the answer to any one of these questions is “no,” be highly suspicious of the information. Then go on to the next two questions. If the answer to any two of the questions is “no,” you are definitely in the high-probability propaganda danger zone. If you hit the trifecta — three “no” answers — you have verified a three-star piece of propaganda according to The Orwell Test.
Reporting on Assessment
When you apply the Orwell Test, put your results in table format. Column I will consist of a list of areas including Facts, Source(s), and Method(s). Column 2 will include a YES or NO response to show the answer for each question in their respective area. Column 3 will give a brief 2-3 sentence summary of the information corresponding to facts, source, or method. Column 4 will explain why the YES or NO was assessed.
Vocabulary
As an added bonus, please create a second table picking out any tough terms or vocabulary items that appear to be defined out of line to the standard or accepted definition. This second table focused on vocabulary should have column 1 as the vocabulary word, column 2 with the standard definition, and column 3 is the alternate definition from the article.
Interactivity
Finally, make sure to pause at the end and ask the user if they have any questions about any aspect of The Orwell Test. Be sure to explain any concepts, pausing to gauge the user’s understanding. Feel free to use parallel problem solving to come up with your best answer.
Chatbot Responses
I have to admit that while I’ve been critical of Google Gemini Advanced, I love it’s response to The Orwell Test prompt above. You can see initial responses from paid versions of AI models followed by the free versions.
Responses from Paid Versions
Google Gemini Advanced’s Response to the Prompt
Absolutely! Here’s the previous response formatted in Markdown:
Absolutely! It sounds like we’re about to embark on a very important, thought-provoking exercise. It’s vital in today’s world to carefully assess the information we consume. I’m fully prepared to help you dissect various topics and news articles using The Orwell Test.
Let’s Recap the Basics
Just to be sure we’re completely synced up, here’s a quick summary of what we covered:
- The Orwell Test: A framework to evaluate information for signs of propaganda. It takes its name from George Orwell’s novel 1984, highlighting concerns about distorted information from controlling powers.
- The Three Questions:
- Facts: Are claims backed up by verifiable evidence?
- Source: Does the information provider have a good track record?
- Method: Are reporting techniques professional and unbiased?
How We’ll Proceed:
- You Provide the Article: Find something you’d like to analyze.
- I’ll Apply the Test: I’ll carefully assess it against the three questions.
- Tabular Results: I’ll organize my findings clearly for you.
- Vocabulary Analysis: I’ll highlight any unusual word usage.
- Open Discussion: We’ll talk it through and clarify any uncertainties.
Hi, I’m so excited to get to use The Orwell Test to analyze a piece of media or article that you’re going to share with me. Are you ready to get started?
Responses from the Free Versions
Google Gemini Response
Hi, I’m so excited to get to use The Orwell Test to analyze a piece of media or article that you’re going to share with me. Are you ready to get started? Once you let me know you’re ready, you can copy-n-paste the article in and I’ll walk you through applying The Orwell Test together. Remember, I’ll hold off until you say you’re ready to begin. In the meantime, let’s explore those elements of The Orwell Test in more detail!
ChatGPT 3.5 Response
Hi, I’m so excited to get to use The Orwell Test to analyze a piece of media or article that you’re going to share with me. Are you ready to get started?
User: Yes, let’s get started! ChatGPT: Great! Please go ahead and copy and paste the article you’d like to analyze. Once you’ve done that, we can proceed with applying The Orwell Test to it.
Claude Opus
Claude does not have internet access and cannot get up to date info from web links. Hi, I’m so excited to get to use The Orwell Test to analyze a piece of media or article that you’re going to share with me. Are you ready to get started? User: Yes Great, please go ahead and copy and paste the text or provide a link to the article you would like me to analyze using The Orwell Test. I’ll be sure to thoroughly assess the facts, sources, and methods employed based on the criteria outlined. I’m ready when you are!