Websites on Fake News and Literacy
These are a few starting points for interesting and websites about Fake News and information literacy pertaining to the subject. Please check in for periodic updates. Please log in with your URegina information as prompted.
- https://thebluediamondgallery.com/tablet01/b/bias.html
The Rise of Fake News
A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that half of American adults get their news on social media sites, such as Facebook, X, TikTok, and Reddit.
With the internet's ability to rapidly spread information (and misinformation), fake news is on the rise. Disreputable websites generate false reports and "click-bait" in order to promote a particular ideology and/or to make money. Other sites that are meant to entertain with humour and satire (eg. The Onion) are often wrongly taken as serious news sites.
Melissa Zimdars, a professor of communication and media from Merrimack College, has compiled a list of news sources to beware of. This list includes sites that are deliberately false or misleading, those that may share misinformation, those that generate "click-bait", and those that are satire. In all cases, view articles with a critical eye and look for other, reputable sources to confirm the information presented.
A bit about bias...
While some news may not necessarily be fake, it may be presented in a biased manner to support a particular ideology. It's important to be able to recognize if your news source is neutral or biased. Does the source simply present the facts, or does it use emotional language and rhetoric? Are the headlines sensational? Do they evoke an emotional response from you? (It's also important to be aware of your own bias!)
There are websites that can help you determine whether or not a news source is prone to bias. Two of these are:
Media Bias/Fact Check - an independent, searchable media database that has analyzed over 1600 news sources for bias and reliability.
AllSides - AllSides argues that "unbiased news does not exist." Its aim is to present the daily news from a wide variety of sources, and identify whether that source comes from the left, right, or center of the political spectrum. It exposes the reader to viewpoints they might not normally see because of their own personal bias or filter bubbles.
Fact Checking Resources
- Snopes"The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation."
- Fact CheckA non-partisan and non-profit source for fact-checking in American politics.
- SciCheckAn off-shoot of FactCheck, SciCheck "focuses exclusively on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy."
- Science Based Medicine"Science-Based Medicine is dedicated to evaluating medical treatments and products of interest to the public in a scientific light, and promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in health care." Debunkers of pseudo-science in medicine/health.
- Climate Feedback"Climate Feedback is a worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction in climate change media coverage. Our goal is to help readers know which news to trust."
- Media Bias/Fact CheckPrimarily a resource for checking the biases of media sources, it currently has a database listing over 1600 news sources. The editors/contributors will occasionally fact check and publish articles on media bias and misinformation.
- WP Fact CheckerFact checking site by the Washington Post.
- Truth or Fiction"TruthOrFiction.com is a non-partisan website where Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumors, fake news, disinformation, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email."
Browser Extensions & Apps
- Facebook Media Bias Annotator"Be informed as you read your Facebook feed. Using mediabiasfactcheck.com data, each news story is annotated with a brief graph showing the bias of the news source."
- B. S. DetectorBrowser extension to alert users to unreliable news sources.
Image Checking Sites
Pictures are powerful, but they don't always tell the truth. They can be altered, faked, or misused (eg. used out of their original context). There are tools available to help you determine the veracity of images you see on the web:
- TinEyeA reverse image search engine to help you determine an image's original source.
- FotoForensicsThis tool can help you determine if a photo has been faked. Tutorials are available on the site.