Fake News, Misleading Information, and Evaluating Sources: Resources

"There are many reasons why fake news happens. Our brains don’t have unlimited capacity, so we need to store only the most important information."

"Critical ignoring is the ability to choose what to ignore and where to invest one’s limited attentional capacities. Critical ignoring is more than just not paying attention – it’s about practicing mindful and healthy habits in the face of information overabundance."

"[D]igital information must include the competence of critical ignoring--choosing what to ignore and where to invest one's limited attentional capacities."

"Asking for completely unbiased news is a fool’s errand — bias is firmly a part of our world. The best we can do is to know and understand bias, read widely, and prioritize sources that attempt to provide highly factual, objective news. Using The Factual’s news rating algorithm, it’s possible to explore which news sites are closest to achieving that standard."

Written by a group of 22 scholars, summarizes the problem of disinformation and how to counter it.

"Lateral reading" is the practice of doing a quick initial evaluation of a website by spending little time on the website itself and more time reading what others say about the source or related issue. In this tutorial, you'll learn about and practice evaluating online sources through lateral reading.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) produced this graphic to highlight tactics used by disinformation campaigns that seek to disrupt critical infrastructure in the United States.

A variety of media tools created by the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University

View clips from over 2 million shows since 2009. Use for checking authenticity of clips found online

"A look at what didn't happen this week."

News and issues from multiple perspectives so you can think for yourself.

A nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.

John Duffy's "Fake News and First-Year Writing" essay from Inside Higher Ed.

From the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association. This is an in-depth look at the factors that go into discerning the reliability of a claim.

The Poynter Institute develops resources for journalists and writers, plus offers resources on fact checking and media literacy for the general public.

In previous decades, most news with global reach came from several major newspapers and networks with the resources to gather information directly. The speed with which information spreads now, however, has created the ideal conditions for something called circular reporting. Noah Tavlin sheds light on this phenomenon.

"Just because it's trending, doesn't mean it's true."

This site details "a short list of things to do when looking at a source, and hook[s] each of those things to one or two highly effective web techniques. We call the “things to do” moves." Stop, Investigate, Find Better Coverage, Trace Claims.

StudentNewsDaily.com is a non-profit current events website for high school students. Our goal is to build students’ knowledge of current events and strengthen their critical thinking skills.

"What IS media bias? We've heard of it, but how does it acutally work? Is the media giving us the entire story?" Amid a sea of frustration, six brave souls joined forces to tackle these questions and explore the issue of news bias.

Good resource for media business models and filter bubbles.

NOTE: This list is not exhaustive and may be updated at any time. A compiled list of fake news sites to watch out for.

Professor Zimdars' original list and criteria, with updates and addenda.

One of America's premier parodic news sites.

From humorist Andy Borowitz, a column parodizing and commenting on current news trends

Mercola is a doctor of osteopathy who has frequently been targeted by the FDA for promoting false, misleading and even dangerous medical advice. His site promotes products and his blog includes false and/or misleading information about medical topics.

One of the guide author's favorite parody sites (or is it real?).