Lies, Misinformation, and Disinformation: The Basics

• FactCheck.org

  "a nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics."
• Snopes.com

  Popular site that examines hoaxes and viral stories.
• PolitiFact

  "PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics."
• How-To's on Fact-Checking & Fake News

  from the Poynter Institute

How to Spot Fake News - ​IFLA: International Federation of Library Association

Consider the source

Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission, and its contact info

Read beyond

Headlines can be outrageous in an effort to get clicks. What's the whole story?

Check the author

Do a quick search on the author. Are they credible? Are they real?

Supporting sources

Click on those links. Determine if the info given actually supports the story.

Check the date

Reposting old news stories doesn't mean they're relevant to current events.

Is it a joke?

If it is too outlandish, it might be satire. Research the site and author to be sure.

Check your biases

Consider if your own beliefs could affect your judgment.

Ask the experts

Ask a librarian or consult a fact-checking site.

Spotting Bogus Claims

"Take a look at your inbox. All those chain emails riddled with suspicious political claims. And what about social media? Odds are, those claims are bogus. Learn how to spot the 'Key Characteristics of Bogusness.'" Check out the original FactCheck.org article to learn more: https://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/that-chain-e-mail-your-friend-sent-to-you-is-likely-bogus-seriously/

The Facts about Fact Checking: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information

"We're off to fact-checking school. This time, John Green is teaching you how to fact-check like the pros. We're going to walk through the steps that professionals follow, including figuring out who is behind the information we read, why they're sharing that information, and what kind of evidence exists to back up the claim. We'll also talk about the difference between skepticism and cynicism."

• Read, watch, and listen to information from MULTIPLE sources.
• Don't take opinion and commentary at face value, always QUESTION assumptions.
• Check your own biases. Ask yourself WHY you feel the way you feel and remember feelings aren't facts. 
• Be OPEN to different and new perspectives.
• You are entitled to your own opinions but NOT your own facts. 

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Post-Truth and Fake News

Learn the definitions of a number of terms related to "post-truth" and "fake news," including confirmation bias, hoax, satire, clickbait, propaganda and many more. Additionally, you will explore the difference between misinformation and disinformation.

RECENTLY, THE ACRL PUBLISHED A BLOG POST CRITICAL OF THE MEDIA BIAS CHART. TO READ MORE ABOUT THE CONCERNS AND THE ARGUMENT THAT THE CHART IS MORE OF A MEME THAN A USEFUL INFORMATION LITERACY TOOL, GO TO THIS WEBPAGE: https://acrlog.org/2021/02/23/complex-or-clickbait-the-problematic-media-bias-chart/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=complex-or-clickbait-the-problematic-media-bias-chart

While this is not a solid scientific classification, it is, nonetheless, a helpful graphic to identify the quality of news media outlets.

Word of the Year 2016 - Oxford Dictionaries

"Oxford Dictionaries announces the Word of the Year for 2016, as well as our shortlisted words adulting, alt-right, Brexiteer, chatbot, coulrophobia, glass cliff, hygge, Latinx, and woke."