Decades ago, the only people we got our news from were trusted evening
newscasters. Anyone can post news online now, which leads to an
abundance of sensationalized and downright fake news stories. To stay
properly informed, follow these steps to learn how to vet online news articles.
The most important component of any news article is the headline. Many
can be misleading and inaccurately misrepresent the article, so read the
entire article and not just the headline to get an idea of what is actually going
on. Also, if a headline sounds too outrageous to be true, it often is, so be
alert. Credibility is also important. The author, news outlet, and quoted sources
all contribute to the trustworthiness of a news article. If the article comes from
an unfamiliar source, doesn’t list an author, or doesn’t have sources, then you
should do your research before sharing. Even reputable publications make
mistakes, and you should try to find a second source to confirm any information
you encounter.
Finally, make sure the news source is recent and the URL looks legitimate. A
fake news site may misspell the name of a reputable publication to seem more
reliable. If you’ve followed these steps, you can call yourself a news detective!
Zhou, T. (2018). How To Tell Whether A News Source Is Credible [Infographic] | Daily Infographic. [online] Dailyinfographic.com. Available at: http://www.dailyinfographic.com/avoid-fake-news [Accessed 28 Aug. 2018].