Fact-Checking Sources

You're writing a researched argument and have found a source that perfectly supports the point you want to make, but you discover that the author works for a lobbying organization related to the subject. You should include it in your assignment anyway and let your professor decide what to make of it.

False

Fact-checking

the act of verifying the accuracy of facts and claims presented in a piece of writing, a speech, media such as images or videos, or a social media post

As you start your research online for a class debate, your instructor recommends that you use stories from "established news sources." Which attributes make established news sources more trustworthy than other online news providers?

Attributes That Promote Trustworthiness Established news sources employ professionals to fact-check information before it is published. Established news sources follow professional guidelines for the ethical practice of gathering and reporting news. Attributes That Don't Contribute to Trustworthiness Established news sources have been in business for a long time. Established news sources are available nation-wide.

You see photos posted and recirculated on a social media site that seem to show dolphins swimming in a canal in Venice (but you've never been to Venice, so you're not entirely sure what it looks like). Multiple people have posted similar photos, although none of the people who have posted appear to be affiliated with a news or publishing organization. The photos seem to have been taken by tourists. The posts claim that the dolphins have returned to canals because the water in Venice is less polluted due to decreases in tourism and canal traffic as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These images seem directly relevant and interesting for a paper you're writing on the environmental impact of the COVID pandemic. What would be the best course of action at this point?

Best Course of Action Search for reliable sources that have posted evidence of dolphins in Venice. Not As Good... Include the images in your paper with a caption that reads "Social Media posts showing dolphins returning to Venice." Cite the social media source and provide a link if possible. Include the images in your paper with a caption that reads "Social Media posts purporting to show dolphins returning to Venice." Ask your instructor if it's okay to cite photos from social media sites.

Which of the following is not fake news?

Information you don't believe is true

One indication that a source may be biased is that it uses language that is designed to elicit a strong emotional response or that suggests a strong slant toward its topic. (Strong emotional language is one tactic used in titles that we are likely to consider "clickbait.") Which of the following article titles includes language that is designed to elicit a strong emotional response and that suggests the source may be biased?

Suggests Possible Bias "'Ghost Sniper' has ISIS running like little girls" "This common artificial sweetener, combined with carbohydrates, spells disaster for your metabolic health" "Explosive truth about police body cameras" Does Not Suggest Bias "Unemployment rates decrease in U.S." "Xbox to release new games for smartphones"

satire

sources that use humor, irony, exaggeration, ridicule, and false information to comment on current events

You are researching government policies in response to the pandemic and come across this article. Which type of source is this article?

A satirical news article

Fact-checking is important for everyone. Read this story from The Guardian, a British news source, and then answer the question below. Which warning signs helped indicate the story about the nuclear threat was fake news?

Correct Answer(s) grammatical errors factual errors reputation for fake news

For a class on science reporting, you have been asked to investigate popular ideas about healthy living and determine whether these ideas are backed up by science. You have chosen to investigate whether consuming chocolate and red wine are truly good for the heart, as some claim. You come across this webpage, which describes the "7 Benefits of Dark Chocolates and Red Wine." Click on the link to view the page, then answer the following question. Which features of the site indicate that the source may lack reliability?

Correct Answer(s) the link to a "SHOP" page in the site's menu bar the disclaimer directly below the title of the blog post the name of the website lack of citations

As you are digging into the claims about what is happening with sheet music in the University of Oxford's music program, you learn that the claims were originally reported by a British news source, The Telegraph. Subsequently, several US news and entertainment sources reported on the Telegraph's article without doing additional reporting. You can now consider the claims reliable because they have been reported by several different sources.

False

Google puts the most reliable search results at the top of the list.

False

When professional fact-checkers evaluate information in online sources, they typically focus on investigating all aspects of the source itself very closely.

False

Which kinds of materials will you likely have to fact-check?

Likely to Need Fact-Checking social media sites websites blogs Less Likely to Need Fact-Checking scholarly articles scholarly books established news sources

HANDBOOK PAGE R-2bCheck Sources and Facts You are writing a research paper on the environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and you recall seeing photos posted and recirculated on a social media site that seem to show dolphins swimming in a canal in Venice. The posts claimed that the dolphins have returned because the water in Venice is less polluted due to the pandemic. You decide to search for reliable evidence that it's true that dolphins have returned to Venice. A search for the phrase "dolphins in Venice" returns the following results (see Fig. 1 below).

The photos may be real, but probably were not taken in Venice. They might have been taken in another part of Italy.

fake news

false or misleading information presented as news

clickbait

headlines, images, or captions designed to make readers want to click on a hyperlink to content of dubious value or interest

hoax photos

images that have been altered with photo editing tools or that have been taken out of context in order to deceive

For your international studies class, you are writing about the relationship between US presidents and Russian president Vladimir Putin. You come across a photo that shows Putin pulling on former President Obama's tie and think about using it as an illustration of their contentious relationship. After fact-checking, you discover that Snopes has included this photo in their "fauxtography" collection and decide not to use it. Read the Snopes article here, then answer the question below. What makes the image of Putin pulling Obama's tie a hoax photo?

the image has been doctored

You are writing a research paper on the environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and you recall seeing photos posted and recirculated on a social media site that seem to show dolphins swimming in a canal in Venice. The posts claimed that the dolphins have returned because the water in Venice is less polluted due to the pandemic. You decide to search for reliable evidence that it's true that dolphins have returned to Venice. A search for the phrase "dolphins in Venice" returns the following results (see Fig. 1 below).

the photos may be real, but probably were not taken in Venice. They might have been taken in another part of Italy

confirmation bias

the tendency to look for information that supports what you already believe and ignore information that doesn't

hoax videos

videos that have been altered or presented in misleading ways

One step in the process of checking whether a source is trustworthy is to investigate the author's expertise and stance. Which of the authors below likely has expertise in the topic they are writing about?

Has Expertise a professor of infectious disease explaining COVID variants the US Surgeon General recommending that people wear sunscreen to decrease their risk of skin cancer a long-time career employee of FEMA discussing how towns can respond effectively to natural disasters a sociologist whose research has focused on eviction writing about how insecure housing causes poverty May Lack Expertise a business professional outlining methods for effective elementary education a civil engineering professor examining polling data to predict who will win the Democratic presidential primary

Different types of sources typically go through different levels of review to ensure the credibility and accuracy of information in them. Which of the following sources is likely to have been edited or reviewed by an expert?

Likely Reviewed by an Expert a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal a book published by the MIT Press an article published in the science journal Nature Less Likely Reviewed by an Expert an article posted on the blog platform Medium

As part of a research project on endangered birds, you have found several online sources that appear to be from established news sources. A closer look, however, indicates that you have a variety of types of writing. Click on each of the links below to view the sources, then identify which ones will require additional research to verify their claims.

Needs Additional Verification New York Times Washington Post Likely Does Not Need Additional Verification Wall Street Journal

You should check the facts and claims presented in which of the following types of sources?

Needs Verification written text social media posts images

Tone and word choice can be important indicators of the stance an author takes toward their topic. Which of these article titles are more likely to come from reputable news sources and which ones are more likely to come from clickbait websites?

News Sources "CDC zeroing in on THC-based vaping products as a major source of lung injuries" "Robotic lizards may play a role in the future of disaster surveillance, researchers imagine." Clickbait "You'll never guess which celebrity co-stars actually couldn't stand each other." "Dermatologists hate this senior citizen for her young looks. Learn her trick now."

You are engaged in a heated debate on social media and have found an article online that backs up your position. Before you post the article to support your point (and hopefully win the debate), what steps should you take to evaluate the website publishing the source and to decide whether you have reason to trust it? Listed below are the steps you should follow. Place them in the most effective order so that you don't waste unnecessary time pursuing an unreliable source.

look up the main claims using Google or another search engine investigate the author's expertise and stance check out who runs the site take stock and use your judgement

You may recall that in March 2021 a ship got stuck in the Suez Canal, effectively blocking traffic in the busy shipping channel. After reposting this satellite image on social media that claimed to show all the backed up shipping traffic in the Suez Canal, your uncle worried about the resulting effect on prices for imported goods in the United States. You did some fact-checking and found this article indicating that the image your uncle posted is a hoax. Using the image and the article linked above, determine which type of hoax photo misled your uncle.

misleading image