Integrity Score 462
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Media literacy is not a new term, but it is not as generally well known as information literacy. Media literacy relates to the ability to identify, use, and create news through different media outlets. It also comes with an inherent responsibility for the news consumer to scrutinize.
Questions to ask yourself to identify fake news :
What is the date of the story?
Some deceptive sites take stories or pictures from a few years ago and revamp them to fit in a headline with today's date. There are resources in this guide to help you verify images to find when they first appeared on the internet.
Is the story unbelievable?
If it's so incredible that you cannot believe it, you shouldn't. Alternatively, if it confirms your worst nightmare, you should research it deeper to find supporting or contradictory evidence.
Who else is reporting this story?
If no other media outlets are reporting the same story, it may not be true. Look for supporting evidence and links to reputable news outlets.
Who is reporting this story?
Are they a reputable news agency? Look up the author to see what and where they have reported before. Be careful of sites that do not provide information on who they are or how to contact them. All media is vulnerable to mistaken facts and news. However, reputable news sources take accountability for their stories. Biased and fake news outlets often do not take the same steps towards accountability, even going as far as giving fake contact information
How did you find this story?
Is it from your over-sharing aunt on social media? Did it come across your newsfeed? Is it a meme? Many people who share stories on social medial do not read past the headline. Reputable news outlets will not share newsworthy stories in a meme.
Does the article make statements without any supporting evidence?
You should always be able to see where the information in the story came from, such as links to original articles and named sources. You should also look up the report on a fact-checking site, such as Snopes or FactCheck.org