Introduction
"...the central idea of journalism — the conviction...“that facts are facts; that they are ascertainable through honest, open-minded and diligent reporting; that truth is attainable by laying fact upon fact, much like the construction of a cathedral; and that truth is not merely in the eye of the beholder.”" Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal (Quoted in TIME)
We live, for better or worse, in a world that we share. We share a reality too; that is how we can point to a chair and understand, even in different languages, that we are talking about the same object. What happens then when a person, or group of people, start to openly refer to a chair as a table, or a window. Are they still talking about the same object? The same reality? This is the problem we are facing now with fake news.
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away (approximately a decade or less ago), the term "Fake News" barely even existed, let alone "alternative facts". However, as CBC Vancouver's Rafferty Baker tweeted, they are just synonymous with lies.
Being able to tell accurate news from fake news, real science from pseudo-science, and genuine reporting from inaccurate is an important skill that you'll use for the rest of your life. This LibGuide will give you valuable insight in telling fact from fiction online, plus a chance to exercise your newfound skills.
How do you know?
What kinds of fake news exist?
There are four broad categories of fake news, according to media professor Melissa Zimdars of Merrimack College.
CATEGORY 1: Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits.
CATEGORY 2: Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information
CATEGORY 3: Websites which sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions
CATEGORY 4: Satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news
No single topic falls under a single category - for example, false or misleading medical news may be entirely fabricated (Category 1), may intentionally misinterpret facts or misrepresent data (Category 2), may be accurate or partially accurate but use an alarmist title to get your attention (Category 3) or may be a critique on modern medical practice (Category 4.) Some articles fall under more than one category. Assessing the quality of the content is crucial to understanding whether what you are viewing is true or not. It is up to you to do the legwork to make sure your information is good.
Fact Checking the Facts
Attribution
This guide is based on one from Indiana University East and reused and modified under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
