Detecting fake news

There are a variety of ways you can determine whether news is real or fake, including: • Read beyond the headlines. Google the news use fact-checking websites such exact headline. Investigate the validity of as Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, The the headline and its story. Washington Post Fact Checker and • Read multiple news sources to see how PolitiFact.com. (or if) they are reporting on the same story. • Consider your own “confirmation bias” • Investigate the author or journalist. Do (Confirmation bias leads people to trust a Google search to authenticate the author information that confirms their beliefs and or journalist. ignores information that doesn’t). • Scrutinise news sources. Look for • Assess whether the news article is a joke. experts with different perspectives. The internet hosts hundreds of satirical

news sites. • Check the date. Some false stories aren’t completely fake, but rather distortions of • False news stories often contain real events. manipulated images or videos. Upload a

suspicious photo into a search on Google • Look for unusual URLs that can appear Images. Verify the subject of the photo real or close to a legitimate news source, and where it has appeared online. Also but aren’t. Those ending in unusual use TinEye Reverse Image Search (www. domains such as “.com.co” are fake news. tineye.com) to verify images you see • Consult the experts. For international online.