Skip to Main Content

Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences 13: Natural Disasters

How to Spot Fake News

Tools for Verifying News and Content

id="s-lg-content-28426212">

Verify, cross-check, and compare content you see online to avoid spreading "fake news."

Here are few basic tools to get you started:

Fact Checkers

>
  • id="s-lg-content-27646453">PolitiFact: Fact-checking US politics id="s-lg-link-desc-27646453">Politifact fact-checks claims by politicians at the federal, state, and local level, as well as political parties, PACs, and advocacy groups and ates the accuracy of these claims on its Truth-O-Meter.
  • id="s-lg-content-27646425">Snopes id="s-lg-link-desc-27646425">Snopes.com was originally founded to uncover rumors that had begun cropping up in chain emails and message boards and is now highly regarded for its fact-checking.
  • id="s-lg-content-27646615">Verification Handbook: An ultimate guideline on digital age sourcing id="s-lg-link-desc-27646615">Handbook is a step by step guide for verifying digital content initially created for reporters and emergency responders.
    • id="s-lg-content-28866551">

    Verify Webpage History

    >
    id="s-lg-content-27647390">

    Verify Images

    Found an image you think may have been manipulated or photo-shopped? Use these tools to check for any digital changes:

    > id="s-lg-content-28455210">


    Want more tools? Check out the Verification Handbook's List of Tools 

    Evaluating Information

    >When evaluating a resource for credibility and appropriateness consider these questions.
    >
    • Who is the author(s)?
    • When was the source published? How current is the information?
    • Is the information directly applicable to the situation at hand?
    • If not, how close is it to the current situation?
    • What underlying assumptions have been made in the data?
    • Is there any reason to suspect bias of any sort in this data source?
    • How good is the evidence given by (or cited) in the source?
    • Is there any potential conflict of interest?
    • Is any significant data omitted?
    • Are there any other data sources which should be consulted?
    • Are there conflicting potential causes for the event?
    • Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?
    • What reasonable conclusions are possible?

    Use the CRAAP test! The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Different criteria will be more or less important depending on your situation or need. For more, see full handout.

    From top to bottom: currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, purpose

    Tags: epss