News

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

• Factcheck.org FactCheck.org fact-checks claims made by presidents, members of Congress, presidential candidates, and other members of the political arena by reviewing TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.
• PolitiFact: Fact-checking US politics 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.
• Snopes 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.
• Verification Handbook: An ultimate guideline on digital age sourcing. Handbook is a step by step guide for verifying digital content initially created for reporters and emergency responders.

Verify Webpage History

• Wayback Machine Web archive that captures websites over time and can be used to verify content history and edits.

Verify Images

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

• FotoForensics Identify parts of an image that may have been modified or “photoshopped”.
• Google Reverse Image Search Upload or use a URL image to check the content history or to see similar images on the web.
• Google Street View Identifying the location of a suspicious photo or video is a crucial part of the verification process.
• Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer Upload or enter the URL of an image and view its metadata.
• TinEye Reverse Image Search Upload or enter an image URL to the search bar and see a list of related sites. Has plug-ins for your browser.
• Wikimapia Crowd-sourced version of Google Maps, featuring additional information.

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

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.