Consider the Source: Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info. Check the author: do a quick search on the author. Are they credible? Are they real? Check the date: Reposting old news stories doesn't mean they're relevant to current events. Check your biases: consider if your own beliefs could affect your judgement. Read beyond: Headlines can be outrageous in an effort to get clicks. What's the whole story? Supporting Sources: Click on those links. Determine if the info given actually supports the story. If it a joke? If it is too outlandish, it might be satire. Research the site and author to be sure. Ask the experts: ask a librarian, or consult a fact checking site.
Be wary of ads disguised as stories
The internet is a revenue-generating giant for advertisers, and some companies have found success in disguising their ads as news stories in website sidebars, feeds and at the footer of credible stories. You’ve surely seen the ads for “This one weird trick to help you lose weight.” Finding Good Health Information on the Internet can also be a slog through fake and biased information intended to sell you products.
What Makes a News Story Fake?
What makes a news story fake?
1. It can't be verified: A fake news article may or may not have links in it tracing its sources; if it does, these links may not lead to articles outside of the site's domain or may not contain information pertinent to the article topic. 2. Fake news appeals to emotion: Fake news plays on your feelings, it makes you angry or happy or scared. This is to ensure your won't do anything as pesky as fact-checking. 3. Authors usually aren't experts: Most authors aren't even journalists, but paid trolls. 4. Fake news comes from fake sites: Did your article come from abcnews.com.co? Or mercola.com? Realnewsrightnow.com? These and a host of other URLs are fake news sites.
