Investigating Fake News: Level 2

Check out the Author or Organization

Most reputable news websites have an "About Us" or "About this Site" link on their site. This is where they explain the purpose of the site and provide information about who is responsible for the content.

Empire News, a site with articles often shared on Facebook, currently has an About section that reads:

"Empire News is intended for entertainment purposes only. Our website and social media content uses only fictional names, except in cases of public figure and celebrity parody or satirization. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental."

For sites that are not as forthcoming, a web search with the site name and "fake news" should work in most cases.

The same goes for article authors. Do a search on Google or in a LMC database like Biography in Context. Look for LinkedIn and Twitter Profiles.

Check the Sources

Does the article mention sources or links for the information? If not, that should be a red flag. If there are sources mentioned or links, do a search or follow the links. Are these reputable sources?

Do a Reverse Image Search

Fake stories often have photos and video clips that have been manipulated or recycled from a past new story from a totally different context.

The Atlantic ran a story in 2012 about photos, real and fake, that showed up on social media during Hurricane Sandy. In the age of Photoshop and easy access to the file cabinet massive file cabinet we call the internet, this is ways too easy.

If you are not sure if an image is real, you can do a reverse image search using Google Images or Tin Eye. You might find the image was from a totally unrelated news story or at least that it was posted on the web five years earlier.

Look for Loaded Language

Fake, misleading or partisan websites are likely to use language that is meant to appeal to your emotions, evoke stereotypes or appeals to your biases. Professional journalists try to use neutral language and follow editorial guidelines for their publication, though editorial / opinion page writers can get away with more biased language.

The website Allsides.com has a dictionary of terms that explores the meaning of politically charged from left, right, and center perspectives.