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https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/faq/how-do-i-spot-fake-news
How do I spot fake news?
The creation of fake news has generated a lot of discussion in 2016 — it’s no surprise that post-truth is Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Although many news sources have some inherent bias or political leaning, there are news outlets that are more credible than others.
Verifying news stories (or sites you should get to know)
(adapted from Professor Zimdars’ ‘False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and/or Satirical “News” Sources’. Refer to Professor Zimdars’ site for a more extensive list).
Refer to the Current and Historical Newspapers guide that provides paywall-free (=free!) access to many national and international newspapers through library databases.
(Source image: IFLA)
Further reading
How do I spot fake news?
The creation of fake news has generated a lot of discussion in 2016 — it’s no surprise that post-truth is Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Although many news sources have some inherent bias or political leaning, there are news outlets that are more credible than others.
Verifying news stories (or sites you should get to know)
- FactCheck.org: monitors the accuracy of U.S. political stories.
- PolitiFact: verifies political news stories.
- Snopes: fact-checks Internet rumours and stories. This will determine whether that post your cousin shared on Facebook re: gun violence in America has any merit.
(adapted from Professor Zimdars’ ‘False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and/or Satirical “News” Sources’. Refer to Professor Zimdars’ site for a more extensive list).
- Check the domain name. Does it look strange? Those ending unusual domains such as “.com.co” are fake news.
- Refer to the ‘About Us’ area on a website to see what it says, or refer to the websites above for more information on the story or source.
- Read multiple news sources to see how (or if) they are reporting on the same story.
Refer to the Current and Historical Newspapers guide that provides paywall-free (=free!) access to many national and international newspapers through library databases.
(Source image: IFLA)
Further reading
- 'Indiana University researchers launch tool to understand spread of fake news' from IU Bloomington Newsroom
- 'Meet the professor who’s trying to help you steer clear of clickbait,' from The Chronicle of Higher Education
- 'Young people aren’t skeptical of fake news,' from Futurity
- 'How fake news goes viral: A case study,' from The New York Times
