5 Fact-checking Sites

Advise from Professional Fact-Checkers

  1. Leave the site to research it.
  2. Ignore the order of search results in Google.
  3. Are the sources cited? Is there documentation?
  4. Watch for “click-bait.”
  5. Watch for inflammatory language, as well as more subtle forms of persuasion.
  6. If the site allows readers to comment, read them.
  7. Read multiple sources of information to get a variety of viewpoints and media frames.

Some Reputable Fact-Checking Organizations

The following organizations are generally regarded as reputable fact-checking organizations focused on U.S. national news:

Respected specialty sites cover niche areas such as climate or celebrities. Here are a few examples:

There are many fact-checking sites outside the U.S.:

At the TEDSalon in London, Markham Nolan shares the investigative techniques he and his team use to verify information in real-time, to let you know if that Statue of Liberty image has been doctored or if that video leaked from Syria is legitimate.[1]

 


  1. Nolan, M. (n.d.). How to separate fact from fiction online [Video]. http://www.ted.com/talks/markham_nolan_how_to_separate_fact_and_fiction_online

License

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Web Literacy for College Students 2nd Ed Copyright © 2020 by NSCC and Michael A. Caulfield is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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