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Fake Online Information v. Real Online Information

When we search for information using a search engine, sometimes our results consist of a lot of junk! This guide is to assist you with using the CRAAP test to identify what is junk/fake information and what is real.

Spot Fake News

Title of image: How To Spot Fake News Consider the Source - Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info. Check the Author - Do a quick search on the author. Are they credible? Are they real? Check the Date - Reposting old news stories doesn’t mean they’re relevant to current events. Check Your Biases - Consider if your own beliefs could affect your judgement. Read Beyond - Headlines can be outrageous in an effort to get clicks. What’s the whole story? Supporting Sources? - Click on those links. Determine if the info given actually supports the story. Is It A Joke? - If it is too outlandish, it might be satire. Research the site and author to be sure. Ask The Experts - Ask a librarian, or consult a fact-checking site. Image from: https://blogs.ifla.org/lpa/files/2017/01How-to-Spot-Fake-News.pdf

Image from : https://blogs.ifla.org/lpa/files/2017/01/How-to-Spot-Fake-News.pdf

Define Fake News

…“fake news” to be fabricated information that mimics news media content in form but not in organizational process or intent. Fake-news outlets, in turn, lack the news media's editorial norms and processes for ensuring the accuracy and credibility of information. Fake news overlaps with other information disorders, such as misinformation (false or misleading information) and disinformation (false information that is purposely spread to deceive people). (Lazer et al.,2008, p.1094)

 

From: Lazer, D., Baum, M., Benkler, Y., Berinsky, A., Greenhill, K., Menczer, F., Metzger, M., Nyhan, B., Pennycook, G., Rothschild, D., Schudson, M., Sloman, S., Sunstein, C., Thorson, E., Watts, D., & Zittrain, J. (2018). The science of fake news. Science, 359(6380), 1094–1096. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao2998