Social Work: Evaluating News/Stories/Websites

IFLA has made this infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News)  to discover the verifiability of a given news-piece in front of you. 

1. Click on camera icon.
2. Right click on the image you are reverse searching, copy and paste the image address in the search box. There is also the option to upload the image.
3. Results page will provide details about the image, similar images, and pages where image is posted.
4. This allows you to see the original image and if there are any changes to the image.

There is a vast amount of information available on the Internet.  However, the Internet is not regulated by any editorial agency, so anyone can post information that may not be reliable.  Therefore, it is important to evaluate the information before using it as a reliable source.  The following are some sites that provide tips to help you determine if the information is factual.

• FactChecker.org:  Nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Read More.
• Poynter Institute-Fact Checking Resources: Nonprofit school for journalists and a publisher of original journalism. Since 1975, Poynter has hosted seminars on news media ethics, written about ethical controversies and provided news organizations with advice on ethical decision-making.  Five core values guide our work: accuracy, independence, collaboration, fairness and transparency. Read More.
• Snopes.com:  When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes.com’s fact checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds. Read More.

10 Ways to Spot a Fake News Article,” which highlighted key items to look for on a website when determining its credibility. The infographic found here summarizes the content from the blog post and students can use it as a guide when using news sources in research.

This is a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, so be careful about using this as a reliable source.             

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