Evaluating Credibility: Some Resources

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia has added a page on Fake News, Hoaxes, and Media Bias to their research resources site. They briefly explain what each site does. This is valuable because, for instance, Politifact and Snopes and Media Bias/Fact Check all have different missions. We need to understand the tools that we are using.



There is also a link to an article on How To Spot Fake News and Snope's Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors.

University Librarians are an important curatorial resource for those of us trying make sense of the deluge of spin and lies pervading public life. Use them! And did I mention that librarians just plain out rock? Below, I've copy and pasted University of the Sciences' Fake News page, but be sure to go to the site and explore other Library resources.

FactCheck.org

This not-for-profit website verifies the accuracy of statements made by politicians in speeches, debates, and ads. It also investigates political claims by others and calls out fake news stories. It is one of the sites working with Facebook in its program to stop fake news from spreading. FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Politifact

Politifact verifies political stories and statements from politicians. It rates stories using its trademarked Truth-O-Meter. Politifact is supported by the Tampa Bay Times, other news organizations, and occasional grants from foundations.

Snopes.com

Snopes.com fact checks all sorts of rumors and stories, including those which may be considered fake news. It is an independent website that is supported by revenue from the advertising that appears on the site.

Washington Post -- Fact Checker

The Fact Checker specializes in checking information from political figures and government officials. The website gives Pinocchio ratings to the stories it covers--more Pinocchios means less true/more false. The Washington Post is a major newspaper and news website supported by advertising and subscribers.

Hoaxy

Hoaxy tracks how fake news stories and fact-checking stories spread on social media. It presents the data in graphic formats. Hoaxy is a project of the Indiana University Network Science Institute and the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research. It is currently in beta testing.

Media Bias/Fact Check

This website rates the political bias of news outlets. It also rates science sites and has a list of satire/fake news sites. It is an independent website and publishes its methodology for rating sites.

Link from Martha Jackson.