Page 31 - Media&Information Literacy - Good Practices

Fact-checking basics

Here are seven different elements of a news piece.

If the information checks out on each of these points, it has
a high likelihood of being accurate. Still, passing the test is
not a guarantee that the information is a fact.

Copyright: Check the bottom of a webpage to see if the

information has been submitted for ownership. If information comes from a non-
transparent source, it is highly likely that somebody is hiding something about their
intentions. E.g. https://www.gutenberg.org/

Verification with multiple sources: Students must double check the information on a

few different web pages that are not connected with each other. Bear in mind that
sometimes fake news websites are referencing each other in a vicious circle.

Check if the source is credible: There is this idea being spread that fake news and
disinformation is mostly spread by mainstream media. Yet, mainstream media at least

stands behind the claims it makes with its name and the name of their journalists,
which both have track record of their actions on the internet and, even when biased,
can be checked for generally adhering to the facts or not. If a source has just been

created (a new or rarely used blog, a website which aggregates most of its content
from somewhere else etc.) and does not carry the marks of who stands behind it, be
vigilant!