Embedded Files
Location
Location
Where did you find the information? Was it online, from a friend, or in a book? Consider if your source is reliable.
Think about this: If you heard from a friend that there is a pool on our fifth floor, would you believe them? What if you heard it from a teacher? What if you read it in a book? Which source is the most reliable and why?
Presentation
Presentation
How is the information presented? Is it on a website with lots of ads or a poorly designed page? Is it in a video only created for likes and shares? Think about whether the knowledge was shared for information or attention. Below are screenshots from two websites about a similar topic: caffeine. Compare the two in terms of presentation.
Website 1
Website 1
What does the presentation tell you about this webpage?
Website 2
Website 2
What does the presentation tell you about this webpage?
Bias
Bias
Is the information being shared by an unbiased source? Is the publisher also unbiased? Research the author and the publisher of the source to see if there is any underlying bias.
What does bias look like? Read some of the text on the image to the left. While it is true that 100% of people exposed to water will die, that does not make water deadly. This image is highly biased against water and presents facts in a way that makes water look bad for you.
Time
Time
Is this a breaking story? In many cases, information will be shared as it arrives, meaning that even reputable organizations won’t have all the details for some time. Wait until you have all the facts.
The image to the right is a cover page from the New York Post after the Boston bombings. The two men pictured were not the bombers, and the Post got in a lot of trouble for publishing this photo before they had all the facts.
Subject
Subject
Is the topic controversial? Controversial subjects are more common in fake news. Take extra time to research information about a controversial topic.
Do a search on Google News about a controversial topic, such as gun control or abortion. How many different perspectives do you see just on the first page of results?
Google Sites
Report abuse