Fake News or Disinformation: Analyze Your Sources

Ask Yourself: Who, What, When, Where, Why?

News reporters aren't the only ones who need to ask these questions.  They are good evaluative questions no matter who you are.

Who? Authority

• Who is the author? Individual or organization
• What is his/her qualifications? Occupation, education, years of experience, something else
• Who does he/she work for?
• Is there contact information?

What? Accuracy

• What is the purpose of the content?
• Are there sources listed?
• Are there editors or fact checkers?
• Is it peer-reviewed or refereed?
• Are there grammar or spelling errors?

When? Currency

• When was it written or published?
• Do you need the information to be up to date?
• What has changed in your field since the publication date?
• For Websites look at:
  • When was the site created?
  • Is there a last updated date?
  • Are there "dead" links?

Where? Publisher

• Where was it published?
• Have you heard of the publisher before?
• Does the publisher take responsibility for the content?
• Is it a peer-reviewed or refereed source?
• Was it self-published?
• Is it a stable site?  Will it be there tomorrow?
  • Does it get updated?
• What does the place of publication tell you about the intended audience?

Why? Purpose & Point of View

• Why does the source exist?
• Is there a mission statement?
• Does it contain mostly opinions or facts?
• Is there bias in the information or opinions included?
• Is it selling? Promoting? Ranting?
• Is advertising clearly separated and marked?
• Is it trying to sway you to a particular point of view?

How? Double-checking

• Find another source to verify what you've found.

Lateral Reading

• Open up another browser tab
• Look for reviews of the site the information is on. 
  • Use a library resource like Ulrichs if it's a newspaper, magazine or journal.
  • Check the list of predatory journals
• Check for further information on the author
  • Do they have a Linkedin Profile?
  • Do they have a Google Scholar Profile?
  • Check the directory of where they say they work to see if they are listed
  • Have they written anything else or is this a one-time thing?
• Does anyplace else link to this information?  A link to a site is often viewed as a recommendation of that site.  Do a google link:URL search to find who links to the site.

Social Media sites often get spammed by bots.  Take a look at the following site which has been analyzing bot accounts on X to learn more.

These browser plug-ins will help alert you to fake news as you use the web.

Learn how easy it is to start to spread fake news.  Play Bad News!

Play a game that tests your sense of whether information is legit and should be shared or questionable and should be skipped.

Fakey

This Choose Your Own Adventure style game makes you a reporter.  Learn what it takes to share real news.

Headlines and High Water