Do You Know? How to Fact Check Like a Pro
From We are America the Beautiful blog on November 11, 2022
Have you had enough of misinformation? Have you heard or read something that seems unbelievable?
Read this guide for tips on how to weigh information and determine fact from fiction.
Start by asking yourself:
Who is the source? Verify the author's credentials. Review the publication and sources cited in the story. Do they even provide a source?
Check the type of content: Is it an advertisement, satire, or opinion?
Where do they get their information from?
Are you familiar with the author?
Can they be considered an authoritative source?
Can you find this story on a trusted website?
Do they have a bias? Is there only one side of the story presented?
Does this story seem unbelievable to you?
Do you feel angry or emotional after reading the article or information? It might have been written to exploit your biases.
Look for red flags: name-calling, grammatical errors, misspellings, or inflammatory language.
Use fact-Checking websites:
Snopes.com
FactCheck.org
Politifact.com
Google’s Fact Checker https://toolbox.google.com/factcheck/explorer
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fact-checking_websites
https://www.lexisnexis.com/pdf/nexis/Nexis-webinar-how-to-fact-check-like-a-pro.pdf
https://abqlibrary.org/fakenews/factcheck