News

Read On! Spotting Lies in Information

January 14, 2021

We do a lot of research during family conversations at my house. Having correct information on a subject helps ensure we all start from the same place of knowledge and understanding.

The internet can be a treacherous place because there’s an avalanche of information ready to come crashing down after a single search. We all know that not all of the information in that avalanche is true.

Spotting the lies can be incredibly difficult. Here are the tricks my family and I use at home to make sure we’re getting the truth:

  • Make sure the sites you’re getting information from are legitimate and not trying to spoof another source. Look at the site address for indicators like “.co” after “.com” or weird dashes like “fox-news.”

  • Read the full article, not just the headlines. Headlines are meant to grab your attention, not give you the full story.

  • Make sure you’re not on a satirical news site like “The Onion.” The site’s “About Us” page should help there.

  • Pay attention to who is quoted and whether both sides of an issue are covered or were asked for comment.

  • Be suspicious of excess grammar or spelling errors and a lot of CAPS or exclamation marks. Journalists and news sources have standards for what they publish.

  • Make sure the information you find isn’t an older story recycled out of context to seem more outrageous.

  • Check to see who else is covering the information. If you can’t find it on another reputable site, it may not be true.

  • If you’re still unsure, your library staff would love to help you determine whether information you’ve found is true or not. All you have to do is call or come in.

With all the talk about constitutional amendments in the news, the library purchased pocket editions of the Constitution from the Government Printing Office. They’re free at our checkout desk.