"When humans are angry and fearful, their critical thinking skills diminish," says Claire Wardle of FirstDraft. If a news story has provoked a strong reaction in you, stop and put your critical thinking skills to work! How to Know What to Trust from the News Literacy Project is an excellent guide to developing critical thinking skills.
In July 2023, the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University published a new tool called Top FIBers, a dashboard of disinformation "superspreaders" on Facebook and Twitter. Users can view data by month, platform, individual account or overall.
Fighting Fake is a "one-stop shop" website that covers key issues and concepts related to the spread of misinformation. It's an excellent starting point for those looking to learn more.
Fact-Checking Sites & Tools
Global news agency that specializes in debunking misleading content from the Asia Pacific region.
Spanish language partnership to counteract disinformation within America's Hispanic and Latino communities.
Nonpartisan international network organized by the Poynter Institute.
Detects and debunks trending fake news and hoaxes on known fake news sites and networks, prank generators and satirical websites.
Crowd-sourced fact-checking and ratings on truthfulness of articles are shared on social media to educate & recruit volunteer fact-checkers.
Rates the accuracy of politicians' statements and claims.
Rates the accuracy of politicians' statements and claims.
"The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation."
Debunks propaganda, disinformation and misinformation on social media.
New tool from Google that allows rapid fact check searches.
First Draft News Verification Toolbox is a treasure trove of tools that checks source, location and more.
Reuters Fact Check is a service provided by Reuters, which is one of the world's largest global news agencies. Navigate to the Reuters homepage and search "fact check" to get started.
Adapted from: Colby-Sawyer College Library
Bias - A predisposition that distorts the ability to fairly weigh the evidence and prevents an individual from reaching a fair or accurate judgment. Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook
Approach photos with the same skepticism you'd use on text. Scroll down for some tools that can help determine an image's original source or whether it has been edited or manipulated; you can find out more in this informative article on photo verification from the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
Photo Sherlock - iPhone/Android app
Brand new from ContentCredentials.org, a tool that lets you upload an image to inspect its content credentials in detail and see how it has changed over time. Not 100% foolproof, but good to use along with reverse image search to determine details about the history/usage of an image.
Source: Damon Brown/TEDEd
Bad News is a new game developed by behavioral scientist Sander van der Linden and colleagues at the University of Cambridge. In the game, players learn how to better identify misinformation tactics by acting as a "fake news tycoon" who has 15 minutes to gain followers without losing credibility, Give it a try!
Learn to recognize misinformation using the SIFT assessment method developed by digital literacy expert Michael Caulfield, director of blended and online learning at Washington State University:
Below is a quick video on the importance of lateral reading, a key part of the SIFT process. And don't forget to check out the tutorial on using the SIFT method to learn more!
Video Source: Poynter Institute/MediaWise
Source: Countable
Five quick ways to double-check online information
Source: First Draft News
Use the AllSides Bias Scale to view the site's rating for the political leanings of a media source. You can even weigh in with your own opinion of a source's bias rating, which is then incorporated into its patented rating system.
New from all AllSides is the Rate Your Own Bias tool, which encourages users to explore their own biases. Click the graphic below to get started!
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
- Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan
The Center for Media & Democracy's Media Bias/Fact Check is a resource that follows a strict methodology for determining and ranking the biases of various media sources. Click here for a list of their "least biased" sources. (Note: the MU Outlook is on the list!)
2/24/20 - per Wikipedia:Reliable Sources, Media Bias/Fact Check is considered to be "generally unreliable. Editors have questioned the methodology of the site's ratings." Wikipedia Reliable Sources is a comprehensive wiki that hosts a list of sources frequently discussed and analyzed on Wikipedia; the wiki includes discussion of the context and expertise of sources in particular and is an excellent starting point for deeper analysis of media sources.
Information Sources to Avoid
The following types of information resources may be legitimate but they should not be mistaken for impartial news sources:
Opinion pieces/editorials are written by journalists or experts.
Parody/satire sites like The Onion and Borowitz Report are only intended to entertain.
Native advertising or "sponsored content" – The purpose of this content is to sell, and it's mostly found online. See some examples here.
Press releases are public relations pieces issued directly from a company or organization.
Publications by advocacy organizations or think tanks: organizations like The Sierra Club, Moveon.org or the National Rifle Association produce useful materials but they also represent a particular point of view.
Adapted from: University of California Berkeley Library
Ad-blocking extensions and apps block financial gain from "fake news" purveyors and help you avoid having your online usage tracked. Use them as you browse or when investigating suspicious sources.
Site-sourcing extensions and apps that are mapped to lists of known "problem" sites can help identify suspicious content. They can be added to browsers to identify sites of legitimate news outlets as you browse.
-Updated 8/2/22-
