Tips for spotting fake news
- Read beyond the headline.
Fake news sites often use attention-grabbing headlines. Read the entire story.
- Investigate the website or source the story appeared in.
What is its mission? Who is the publisher? Is it a respected news outlet? Or is it a personal website or blog? Pay attention to the URL. Some websites ending in “com.co” are actually fake versions of legitimate news sites.
- Check the author.
Do a Google search or check LinkedIn. Is the author credible? What are his/her credentials?
- Look at the sources.
Does the article reference outside sources to support its claims? Are they trustworthy?
- Check the date.
Does the article take an older story but give it a new headline and pretend it just happened? Click through the links to find the actual date.
- Beware of bias including your own.
Is the article skewed toward a particular point of view? Are you more likely to believe it simply because it reinforces your own beliefs?
- Do other news sites or outlets report the same story?
If not, it’s probably fake.
- Is it a joke?
Some sites intentionally publish satirical news articles which are sometimes mistakenly taken as fact.
- Ask the experts.
Check with a librarian or consult a fact-checking site.
What does non-fake news look like?
Michael Schnudson, a professor at the Columbia Journalism School, identifies the following earmarks of journalistic quality:
- Willingness to retract, correct, and implicitly or explicitly apologize for misstatements in a timely manner.
- Accuracy.
- An interest in contrary evidence.
- Follow the story regardless of its political implication.
- Be calm and declarative. No hyperventilating.
- Present multiple positions or viewpoints within a story if the topic is controversial.
- Identify your sources whenever possible.
- Use commonly accepted data and reliable authorities.
- Pursue evidence and leads that run counter to your hunches, passions, and preferences and, when the evidence pans out, give it appropriate attention in your story.
For a discussion, see Michael Schudson. "Here's What Non-Fake News Looks Like."
Avoid fake news
Avoid fake news by only using sources you know are reputable. Do not rely on social media sites such as TikTok, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter). Reputable news sources include the Associated Press and Reuters.
