Information is power. Unfortunately, false information disguised as truth cons us into giving up that power, so it’s important to fight back. The internet, where those under age 50 get half of their news, is the preferred battlefield for this power struggle.
At the library, we will always help you evaluate the information you find, but here are some things you can do on your own:
Make sure you’re getting information from legitimate sites. Look at the web address. “ABCNews.com” is very different from “ABCNews.com.co.” The “.co” site really wants you to believe it’s legitimate, but it’s not.
Don’t be afraid to read a site’s “About Us” page and look at other stories by that reporter. This is also a good time to make sure you’re not on a satirical news site like The Onion.
Online information tends to be more lax in grammar and punctuation than printed news, but if there are a lot of spelling errors and excessive CAPS or punctuation, you should be suspicious about the information they’re giving you. Journalists and news sources have standards for publications and employ staff who ensure their reporters meet those standards.
In an article, look at who is quoted and whose quotes are missing. Are both sides represented? Was there an attempt to represent both sides?
Can you find the information somewhere else? Have multiple reputable sources reported on this topic? How old is the information? Sometimes fake news sources like to recycle older stories out of context to make them seem more outrageous.
Last, but not least, there are fact-checking sites doing a lot of this work for you. There are several to choose from (factcheck.org, politifact.com, snopes.com, truthorfiction.com, etc.) and it’s a good idea to check more than one.
It’s a lot of work to vet your news, but it’s worth it.