How to avoid the fake news trap
Do you wish you could save time investigating the memes and questionable stories filling your social media feeds? Ever wish the person who shared it had fact-checked it before they shared?
Fortunately, librarians at K-State Libraries are sharing resources and tools you can use to identify fake news stories that run across your news feed.
“If your feeds have become flooded with content that makes you feel more emotional than informed, you can choose to hide those posts and get your news from legitimate news outlets and research organizations,” said Sara K. Kearns, professor and academic services librarian with K-State Libraries.
If you do want to run down the fact checking road, Kerns recommended that you find out if someone has already done the work for you before your lace up your shoes. The following sites not only investigate the stories, but they also provide you with more information to back up their claims.
FactCheck.org at www.factcheck.org. FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan organization that has investigated politics since 2003. They also fact check science claims. FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania that you can visit at www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org.
Poynter Institute-Fact Checking Research at www.poynter.org/channels/fact-checking. Journalists at the Poynter Institute collect and explain major studies and events related to fact checking, fake news and misinformation.
PolitiFact at www.politifact.com. Politifact is a Pulitzer Prize-winning website created by the Tampa Bay Times and now operated as part of the Poynter Institute. The site focuses on political news and statements made by elected officials.
Snopes at www.snopes.com. Originally a debunker of urban myths, Snopes now investigates memes, tweets, and the news. You can go straight to its fact-checking page www.snopes.com/fact-check.
Kearns says these fact-checking sites establish, publish and follow their own investigation guidelines. Sometimes, the researchers clearly confirm or refute the stories. They also provide enough information for the user to come to their own conclusions about more nuanced issues.
