Soccer play Megan Rapinoe defiantly stomped on the American flag!
(She did not intentionally.)
Malia Obama was arrested!
(She was not.)
We couldnt possibly report our parents to the Facebook mods (or can we?).
Generally, theyll find more credible sources while searching through headlines on Google News than on Facebook or Twitter.
Is the website credible?
Has it provided stories that have been disputed in the past?
Better yet, dootherreputable sources reference reported stories on the website?
Watch for odd URLs
.
Fake news sites often have unusual URLs, but not always.
Check out the sites About section
.
Satirical sites will make their mission clear.
Does the story seem balanced, with support for both sides of an issue or story?
Is there a byline?
If so, search the writers name and see what else he or she has written.
If you cant find any other stories by the author, thats a red flag.
Look closely at the quotes
.
Fake news creators often dont bother to make up quotes.
If a source is identified, do a search of the sources name or their organization or company.
Be skeptical of photos, not just text
.
Photos can be stolen and placed in fake news stories to give them the feel of real ones.
They can also be photoshopped to put people in situations or places where they have never actually been.
If a photo seems suspicious, do a reverse image search.
Of course, you always have theoptionof reporting a particularly problematic post, too.
On Twitter, similarly, just hit the post, Report Post, and select your reason.
Granted, it wont necessarily stop the post from being shared unless moderators steps in.
