Fake News:

Avoiding Fake News

URL

Examine the URL and domain name

Look at the ending of the domain name carefully, fake news sites often try to fool users into thinking the site is a .com or other familiar top-level domain

Evaluate

Apply the CRAP Test

Use FactCheck.org's Guide

1. What is the source?
2. Read beyond the headline
3. Check the author, date, sources
4. Is it a joke/satire?
5. Check biases

Visual Clues

• resembles or imitates a well-known site
• bad web design
• story not reported elsewhere
• invasive pop-up ads
• clickbait headlines
• EXCESSIVE CAPS USE
• lots of spelling and grammatical errors
• domains with suspicious endings

Filter Bubbles

Be aware that social media and customized news feeds show you content based on personal information, your past user behavior, and other factors.

Not only can this leave you in a bubble and cause confirmation bias; it can also result in the viral spread of fake news. Think before you share!

Tools

1. Install a browser plugin like BS Detector. 2. Use a fact checking site. 3. Use a data visualizer like Hoaxy to see a claim's spread. 4. Type the claim into Google Search or Google News.