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Strategies to Determine Validity
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Lateral Reading
- Find other information about the same subject from different sources and compare them
- Who's the author/source? Are they credible?
- Read beyond the headlines. What does the story say? Does it match headlines, captions or images?
- Are other stories reporting the same information?
- Check the dates. Is it something that is old which was reposted?
- Is it satire? Is it supposed to be humorous and entertaining
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Fact-Checking Websites
- Organizations which investigate claims made in news stories, social media posts, etc.
- Best to use sites which are run by independent organizations and not affiliated with media companies
- See links below for fact-checking websites
Reverse-Image Searches
- Determine where and how photographs have been used
- Determine if the photographs have been altered
- May enter URL or upload pictures to determine validity
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Video Tutorial: How to Spot Fake News by FactCheck.org
Lateral Reading - Use These Steps
Fact Checking & Reverse Image Websites
Use these websites to determine if stories are true or false:
Reverse Image Searching
Other Ways to Spot Mis/Disinformation
Other Clues
- Look for unusual URLs
- Look for unusual logos
- Look for grammatical mistakes or incorrect dates
- Who is the author? What are his/her credentials?
- Are credible news sites reporting similar news?
- Do the same images appear in unrelated stories?
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