Evaluating a Source
Five ways to make sure you don’t get duped by a fake website.
Fake News Sources |
CRAAP TestCARS and the 5 W's are mnemonics to help evaluate research sources.
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RADCABThis six step evaluation will help you to determine whether or not the information you have is reliable and supports your research question.
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- AllSides. While not a fact-checking site, AllSides curates stories from right, center and left-leaning media so that readers can easily compare how bias influences reporting.
- Fact Check. This nonpartisan, nonprofit monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by U.S. political players, including politicians, TV ads, debates, interviews and news releases.
- Media Matters. This nonprofit and self-described liberal-leaning research center monitors and corrects conservative misinformation in the media.
- NewsBusters. A project of the conservative Media Research Center, NewsBusters is focused on “documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.”
- Open Secrets. Run by the Center for Responsive Politics tracks how much and where candidates get their money.
- Politifact. This Pulitzer Prize winning website rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials. Features the Truth-O-Meter that rates statements as “True,” “Mostly True,” “Half True,” “False,” and “Pants on Fire.”
- ProPublica. Has won several Pulitzer Prizes. ProPublica produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
- Snopes. Often the first to set facts straight on wild fake news claims.
- The Sunlight Foundation. Uses public policy data-based journalism to make politics more transparent/accountable.
- Washington Post Fact Checker. Although WP has a left-center bias, its checks are excellent and sourced. Bias because they fact check conservative claims more than liberal ones.
- Who Is Find out who is behind a particular domain or IP address. Great for verifying who is responsible for a website.
- Google Reverse Image Search An excellent tool for verifying the origins of a photo.
- B.S. Detector A browser extension that alerts users to unreliable news sources.