Students' checklist for fake news
Students' checklist of fake news featured on Hawaii Public Radio. Get it here:
Fake News Checklist
Check the URL address: Look for things like .com.co or other long extensive URLs. Domain name.
Read the “about” section: If the “about” section of the website is relatively vague or doesn’t exist, then your website probably isn’t credible.
Check for quotes: Does the story have any quotes? If so are they credible sources? Look up the people who are quoted within the story.
Multiple sources? Does the story have multiple credible sources from different/opposing perspectives?
Is the author named? Check to see if an author is listed or if they write under something like Jon Doe. If so, it is likely not a credible source.
Google search the story: Search a story to see if you can find it on any other website, preferably a credible news organization such as BBC, CNN or New York Times. Usually big stories are published by several different publications. Verify.
Do a reverse image search in Google to check a photo. It might have been stolen from another site, manipulated etc.
Fact check information and quotes.
Check the comment section to see whether other readers have verified it.
Observe the website: If the home page for this news organization generates a lot of tacky ads and pop up’s, there is a good chance it is not a credible source.
Check the headline. Is it exaggerated? Copy and paste it into Google search to see whether credible news organizations are covering the story.
Check the story in Snopes (hoaxes) and factcheck.org. Some stories are satirical (e.g. those in the Onion). Also check http://www.fakenewschecker.com/
Check links and verify those too. Are the references legitimate?
Are there grammatical errors and typos in the story? If so, it’s not trustworthy.
Click on the article: Up to 59% of articles shared on Facebook are not even opened!
It's usually pretty easy to tell once you’ve opened the article if it's real or not.
