LibGuides: News Sources and Evaluation: Fake News

What IS "fake news"?

"FAKE NEWS!!!!"

--claim in the comments section of anything on the internet

"Fake news" means-- or at least SHOULD mean-- more than just a perspective you don't agree with or respect. According to dictionary.com, "Fake" means "designed to deceive or cheat; not real; counterfeit."

There is certainly plenty of that online, but there is far more news that isn't exactly fake but isn't exactly unbiased or thoroughly fact-checked, either.

Here's a great discussion of the "news ecosystem" and why we're fighting an "information war" every day:

Spotting Fake News

What is Fake News?

Fake News is a term that applies to information that is completely or partially false. In the traditional sense of the word, it is not news at all. It can include stories that are made up as well as those which have some elements of truth blended with fiction. Some news outlets, especially anonymous sources on the Internet, may deal entirely with fake news designed to mislead people and persuade them to adopt a particular point of view.

Here is an overview of Fake News from The Guardian:

What is Fake News? How to spot it and what you can do to stop it.
News Literacy Project
Tools, tips and resources to learn how to tell fact from fiction.

Can you spot the fake?

Factitious: A game that tests your news sense
Look at these actual news stories and guess whether they're real or fake.

Fact Checking Links

AllSides Fact Check Bias Chart & Ratings
Fact-checking organizations have biases, too! Be aware of what fact-checkers may be (consciously or unintentionally) choosing to emphasize or leave out.

FactCheck
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center
FAIR
FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986.
Open Secrets
Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.
Politifact
PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. "PolitiFact seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases. Our journalists set their own opinions aside as they work to uphold principles of independence and fairness."
Snopes
The Snopes web site was founded by David Mikkelson, a project begun in 1994 as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends that has since grown into the oldest and largest fact-checking site on the Internet.
VERIFYThis
A fact-checking site that helps its audience distinguish between true and false information related to stories or claims that spread online.