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News Literacy

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"Fake news" ranges from satire and stories invented to grab attention, to misinformation, disinformation and propaganda. Increasingly convincing photos and video may be altered, created or used in ways intended to mislead. Untrue or biased content may be spread for political purposes or for profit.

In an age where anyone can publish and clips can quickly go viral, it's up to each of us to take the time to evaluate news before believing or sharing it with others.

According to FactCheck.org, these are some proven steps to determine news credibility. 

  1. Consider the source. Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info.

  2. Read beyond the headline. Headlines can be outrageous in effort to get clicks. Go beyond headlines.

  3. Check the author. Do a quick Google search on the author. Are they credible?

  4. Determine if sources support the story. Click those links. Determine if the subsequent info actually supports the story.

  5. Check the date. Sometimes information is or was true, but is being presented out of context. 

  6. Consider that it might be satire. Check the site and author to find out.

  7. Check your biases. We more easily believe things that fit with our existing beliefs.

  8. Ask the experts. Ask a librarian or consult one of the fact-checking sites outlined below.

Resources for evaluating news and fact-checking

Use these sites to determine if a story is true or false or somewhere in between.

Use your library

Library staff are trained in evaluating information. Ask us for help anytime in person, by phone, email or 24/7 live chat.