Fake news is particularly prevalent on the Internet and especially in social media, so it is important to be critical of the information before using it.
•Source: Find out more about the site, what is their mission, can you contact the authors. Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and contact information.
•Author: Is the author credible/trustworthy, what can you find out about them, do they actually exist.
•Date: Check the date. Is this an old post that has been reposted? Is it relevant to current events or being reused to cater to some viewpoints/beliefs?
•Bias: What prejudices are you bringing to the post? Is it pandering to your beliefs and fuelling them? Are you in an information bubble?
•Headlines: Don’t believe the headlines as often they are being sensationalised to draw you in. This is known as click bait.
•Evidence: Is the information based on sound evidence? Can you see where the ‘author’ got their information from. Do any sources being linked to actually support what is being said.
•Joke: Consider if the news is satire? Is humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule being used to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
•Expert: If in doubt ask an expert, do some further research or consult a fact-checking website such as https:fullfact.org - a team of independent fact checkers and campaigners who find, expose and counter the harm fake or incorrect news does.
