USING CLUES TO SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION: 

Identifying Misinformation and Fake News in an Overloaded Media Environment

 Do you feel overwhelmed by the news?  Have you stopped watching news on television or reading news or participating in social media because there are so many different versions of a story that you don’t know which source to trust, if any?

You might want to follow what professional researchers do.  They are never easily convinced.  They always question information they receive from any source, even if it is a source considered normally trustworthy.  Researchers have internalized a set of five rules when they read, watch or are told information in any format from any source.  That set of rules is called media literacy, which is increasingly crucial for informed citizenship in a digital age.  Media literacy provides a set of easily learned clues and tools that you can follow in separating truth from fiction or half-truths.   Those clues and their accompanying tools are:

• Evaluating and verifying claims: Consider both the speaker and the source of the information.  Is the person making the claim considered an expert in the topic?  If so, the source will announce their credentials.   Are they just repeating something someone else has said?   If so, has the speaker or the publishing platform/source provided you with reliable video or writings from the person that your speaker is supposedly quoting?  How do you know that the person being quoted is an expert?  Again, look for expertise and credentials, but also turn to nonpartisan sources to check the statement’s accuracy.  This is a good opportunity to use a nonpartisan fact checking organization.  A list of reliable fact-checking organizations is at the end of this article.  

• Considering sources: One of the most important parts of information literacy is your ability to discern which sources are credible.  As well as looking at the author’s credibility, you need to look at the trustworthiness of the publication or platform itself.    Is the publisher reputable?   Could you go to a website of the source that published this information and find out more about the web publisher?  Be especially careful of a social media publisher or platform.   How do you know that the person is who they claim to be?  Is the web address one that you easily recognize?  Does the web address end with .com or .gov or .org, or is it an ending that is totally unfamiliar to you?   Are there misspellings in the name of the organization or in the information posted? Also be sure to examine the date the information was given or written.  Is it timely? Is it outdated? 

• Recognizing bias: Ask yourself why the article has been written, or a claim has been made.  Are they trying to sell you something?  Is the author or speaker’s desire to convince you unsupported by any facts? Is the source pushing a particular political agenda or point of view? You should also examine your own bias.  Are you more likely to trust a source because what they are claiming is what you already believe?  Again, look for facts which may contradict your own beliefs and evaluate them. 

• Accountability, transparency and fake news:  Let’s go back to news published by someone you don’t know, and either the actual author is hidden, or you can’t find anything out about the person or source that made the claim.  Or it could be a well-known source that is not providing any hard evidence, just the claim.    This could be fake news, sometimes called disinformation.  Fake news is created with an intent to deceive, written with one of two goals in mind, either to mislead the reader or to damage an opposing side, or both.  It can be a story that is false, or a story that is not completely accurate.   In this instance, you might try checking several sources that you know usually oppose each other.  If both agree on the story, you may be more comfortable in believing it. 

• Context: Sometimes a claim that is normally considered factual may be used out of context.  Ask yourself if the claim is relevant to the situation in which it is being used or if it is being used to distract from an unpleasant or contrary set of facts.

Many nonpartisan guides and fact-checking organizations exist to help you find out whether a statement or a source or platform is reliable.  Four of the best are:

Emergent.info – a real-time rumor tracker that focuses on how unverified information and rumor are reported in the media

FactCheck.org – a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of confusion in American politics

Politifact.com – a factchecking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected official and others who speak up in American politics

Snopes.com – website covering urban legends, Internet rumors, and other stories of unknown or questionable origin.

Finally, just remember that social media, broadcast media and the Internet can provide you with a thousand answers, which may or may not be valid.  Try going to your public library.  A librarian will help you find a reliable answer.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots political organization that promotes voter education, advocacy, and participation in the political process. Our mission is to promote political responsibility through the informed and active participation of citizens.  Mary Cornaby serves on the Board of Directors of the LWV Solano County. https://my.lwv.org/california/solano-county