In the past few years, internet browsers have been bombarded with so many articles spewing out disinformation that it has become increasingly difficult and time-consuming to discern the truth. The web has become the lawless Wild West of fake news - false claims, outright lies and half-truths. How do we navigate through all the claims on the internet? Educators around the world have stepped up and are training their students to be skeptical of what they read on the internet. Here are some helpful tips on how to approach any news article:
- Determine first: Who has written this? Are they a reputable or reliable source?
- Is this written by a real person with a long history commenting on diverse topics or a fictitious-person created by an internet troll who targets conspiracy theories - over and over and over?
- Where has the article been published? Can I find the same information from another source, a more reliable one?
- Examine claims found in YouTube videos and social media posts. Are they “clickbait” articles that spew out disinformation meant to prey on your emotions?
- Think twice before you like or share an article on social media.
- Don’t buy into hate, educate!
- Avoid cynicism but be skeptical.
- Be Web Literate - Fact check everything.
SIFT: Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace:
SOME REPUTABLE FACT-CHECKING ORGANIZATIONS
The following organizations are generally regarded as reputable fact-checking organizations focused on U.S. national news:
- Media bias fact check
- Politifact
- Factcheck.org
- Washington Post Fact Checker
- Snopes
- Truth be Told
- NPR Fact-Check
- Social Media Hoax Slayer
Respected specialty sites cover niche areas such as climate or celebrities. Here are a few examples:
From “Web Literacy for student Web Checkers”: https://webliteracy.pressbooks.com/chapter/fact-checking-sites/