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McLean High School Library Website: Fake News

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Misinformation & Disinformation: Fake News

How can you trust your news sources? Use these related tutorials below and become a savvy news consumer.

The tutorials in the tabs below provide detailed instructions that will save you time and effort and improve the quality of your research.

Fake News

Media Bias

Data Literacy

Fact Checking Resources & Finding Quality News

Research Help Home

What Is Fake News & How to Identify It

What is Fake News?

We think of fake news as false and misleading information spread (usually) across the internet. As we learn more about "fake news," it's important to distinguish between the two major categories it contains: misinformation and disinformation.

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information. Examples include rumors, insults and pranks.
Disinformation is deliberate and includes malicious content such as hoaxes, spear phishing and propaganda. It spreads fear and suspicion among the population.

Remember, If you want to evaluate a source like a professional fact checker, utilize the SIFT technique:

STOP
INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE
FIND TRUSTED COVERAGE
TRACK DOWN ORIGINAL SOURCE

Want more? We have a whole tutorial on SIFT. Check it out!

What Can You Do About Fake News?

Learn to recognize fake news stories. Be curious and actively investigate what you read and hear.
Learn to recognize media biases.
Become a savvy consumer of data--numbers matter and can be misrepresented.
Use reliable news sources that are accountable that follow journalistic ethics and standards.

Not sure where to start? Follow along with this guide to learn more!

PLAY A GAME: See how you do with these Fake News Games

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Bad News Game

Identifying Fake News