Reliable Fact Checking Websites
“A society without the means to detect lies and theft soon squanders its liberty and freedom.”
~ Chris Hedges
As a hyper-partisan political climate and extreme bias is threatening our shared sense of reality, it is more important than ever to get information from reliable sources. Misinformation has become ubiquitous on social media, cable news, and around dinner tables across the country. Before sharing misinformation, it is important to check to know whether what we are sharing is actually true or merely fits our own beliefs and opinions.
You can recognize fake news by considering a few factors:
· The source of the article — Where is the article from? A story from a respected newspaper, such as The Washington Post is more likely to be reliable than a post on a random blog or alternative media outlet with a clear bias.
· Is it a serious story? — Some stories, and even entire publications, are satire, such as The Onion or The Borowitz Report in The New Yorker. The comment sections of these stories are hilarious, as people argue about the contents of the article and complain about it being fake news. Make sure you aren’t reading something that is meant to be humorous before taking it as fact.
· The author — Who wrote the story? Entire Facebook groups and online communities have formed around various conspiracy theories of vague and unknown origin. Most recently, QAnon has gained attention, even in mainstream media sources. People are sharing completely invented “stories” from unknown, heavily biased sources making completely unsupported claims. When forming your own opinions or sharing information, it is helpful to know who wrote it.
· The date of the story — Misinformation about protests was found to have come from old news stories, fake images and protest videos, and some “news” sources have posted digitally altered images. There have been pictures shared on social media of injured police officers that weren’t even in the United States but were injured in protests in other countries. In other cases, photographs of protests weren’t even in the same city or were taken several years ago. This is a big problem because they are being used to discredit peaceful and Constitutionally protected protests.
· Bias — Some sources, such as Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, OAN, Newsmax, and Fox News have a clear bias. Other sources are less obvious. However, if you are reading a story that is clearly biased and contains obvious misinformation, you should be wary of believing it or sharing it on your social media page.
· Evidence — Journalists work hard to research and write news stories that are backed by evidence, such as first-hand sources, video, or tape recorded conversations. When reading a news story or watching cable news, look for information about the source of the story. Where did the reporter get the information? Are links, statistics, or other evidence provided? Something with no supporting evidence at all is an opinion piece and shouldn’t be mistaken for news.
The problem of widespread misinformation and importance of agreeing on basic facts and reality make it important to check the information you are reading, even if you tend to agree with the ideas. The internet has made it easier than ever to verify information through fact checking websites. There are some that are unbiased and non-partisan.
Unbiased Sources for Fact Checking
Distinguishing facts from opinions and real news from propaganda or “fake news” is becoming increasingly challenging. There are a few reliable, unbiased, and non-partisan organizations that provide easy online fact checking. You can use these sites for everything from learning if a story is factual to evaluating the bias in various media sources.
Here are a few fact checking sources to try:
· AP Fact Check — The Associated press is well-known and widely respected throughout the world for factual reporting. This independent global news organization offers AP Fact Check as a resource for those interested in checking the reliability of claims made by politicians and untrue stories being shared on social media.
· FactCheck.org — This website is a project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center. The non-partisan organization monitors accuracy of information in political speeches, interviews, debates, and television ads to help reduce deception and increase knowledge. The group also offers SciCheck, which is dedicated to fact checking science-based claims.
· MediaBias/FactCheck — This independent online media outlet offers an enormous database of more than 3,200 media sources. The website can be used as a comprehensive resource for determining bias from media sources.
· Media Matters for America — Media Matters for America is a web-based non-profit research and information center that was started to monitor, analyze, and correct misinformation in the media.
· Open Secrets — Do you want to know where candidates get their money? Are you confused about “dark money” and how it impacts American politics? The Center for Responsible Politics founded Open Secrets to track money in politics and how it influences public policy.
· Politifact — This well-known fact checking website is owned by the non-profit Poynter Institute for Media Studies. They rate the accuracy of statements made by politicians with Truth-O-Meter ratings of True, Mostly True, Half True, Mostly False, False, and Pants On Fire, which is reserved for the most ridiculous claims.
False and misleading information is able to propagate because it is believed and then shared. This is a problem that starts with the people and can end with us too. We all have to do our part to reduce the spread of fake news. Take a second to check the facts before sharing or believing claims made by politicians or dubious media sources.
