7 Tips for Separating Fact from Fiction

News literacy experts shared their advice for being a responsible news consumer. Here are seven quick things you should do to judge whether you can trust what you read:

Read the article.

This one seems like a no-brainer, but it's essential to actually read an article before letting it form your opinion – especially if the headline makes an outrageous claim. A recent study found that only 59 percent of articles shared by Twitter users have actually been clicked, suggesting that many people share links based on the headline alone.

"Clicking is a good place to start," Jonathan Anzalone, assistant director of Stony Brook University's Center for News Literacy, said.

Check the URL.

Some purveyors of fake news choose domain names suspiciously similar to those of established news companies.

Leading the pack is the notorious abcnews.com. co, whose name and logo mimic the branding of the real ABC News. During the 2016 election, the website attracted readers with bogus stories like one claiming President Barack Obama banned the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, and another that ‘quoted’ a fictional person who claimed he was paid $3,500 to protest against Donald Trump. Both stories were debunked.

"Go beyond the masthead at the top, because it's really easy to copy a brand," said Peter Adams, senior vice president at the News Literacy Project.

Other culprits that fail the URL test are cnn-trending. com, washingtonpost.com.co, and bloomberg.ma. Make sure the site you're on isn't an impostor.

Who is the author?

Always check the author of the news you read. If you don't recognize the name, you may want to inspect other articles by the same person to see if they're a reliable voice. Bonus points if the site provides a way to contact the author.

And if no authors are listed, ask yourself: Why don't they want to stand behind their work?