Can I trust this Source?
The CRAP Test, developed by Molly Beestrum, is a helpful tool to use when trying to decide if a website is a credible, valid source. The CRAP Test looks at four major areas: currency, reliability, authority and purpose. When determining whether a website is credible or not, evaluate it on those four areas. Here are a few suggestions to help you think through your evaluation process.
REMEMBER THE CRAP TEST !
Currency
How recent is the information?
How recently has the website been updated?
Is it current enough for your topic?
Reliability
What kind of information is included in the resource?
Is content of the resource primarily opinion? Is is balanced?
Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?
Authority
Who is the creator or author?
What are the credentials? Can you find any information about the author's background?
Who is the published or sponsor?
Are they reputable?
What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information?
Are there advertisements on the website? If so, are they cleared marked?
Purpose/Point of View
Is this fact or opinion? Does the author list sources or cite references?
Is it biased? Does the author seem to be trying to push an agenda or particular side?
Is the creator/author trying to sell you something? If so, is it clearly stated?
Fake news is in the News these days, so what is it? The term is most often used to describe completely fabricated stories, but can also be applied to a broader continuum of news. Many news outlets will exhibit some form of explicit or implicit bias while not falling into the fake news category. Assessing the quality of the content is crucial to understanding whether what you are viewing is true or not. It is up to you to do the legwork to make sure your information is good.
TYPES OF FAKE NEWS
Deliberate Misinformation
There is fake news written for profit and then shared on social media among targeted groups of people who want to believe that it is true. The intention is for the fake news to spread without readers taking the time to properly verify it. This type of fake news is untrue news.
False Headlines
A news headline may read one way or state something as fact, but then the body of the article says something different. The Internet term for this type of misleading fake news is “click bait”—headlines that catch a reader’s attention to make them click on the fake news. This type of fake news is misleading at best and untrue at worst.
Social Media Sharing
Social media’s ability to show a large number of news items in a short time means that users might not take the time to research and verify each one. These sites often rely on shares, likes, or followers who then turn news items into a popularity contest—and just because something is popular and widely-shared does not mean it’s true.
Satire
Satire news or comedy news often begins with an aspect of truth then purposefully twists it to comment on society. Satire news has the potential to be spread as though it is real news by those who do not understand its humorous nature. An example of a well-known satire website is The Onion.