LibGuides: Real News/Fake News: About fake news: Home

5 ways to spot & stop fake news from Harvard University

What Makes Real News Real?

What is Fake News?

According to Wikipedia: Fake news is a type of hoax or deliberate spread of misinformation, be it via the traditional news media or via social media, with the intent to mislead in order to gain financially or politically. It often employs eye-catching headlines or entirely fabricated news-stories in order to increase readership and online sharing.

Background Information

Reports from Universities

Fake News and the Spread of Misinformation (From the Shorenstein Center with links to peer-reviewed articles)

Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning (From Stanford University)

Lies, Damn Lies and Viral Content (Columbia Journalism School)

Fact-Checking Sites and Plug-Ins

Fact Checking Sites: Browser Plug-ins:

RumorGuard

Lead Stories

Media Bias/Fact Check Stop-the-Bullshit (github)

FactCheck.org Fake News Guard (Chrome)

Politifact NewsGuard

Snopes

Washington Post Fact Checker

Check Your Fact

Identifying Fake News Sites:

False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and Satirical "News" Sources (List of fake news sites)

How to Fight Lies, Tricks, and Chaos Online from Verge

Current Articles

Social Media and Speech

Digital Disinformation and the Imaginative Dimension of Communication
Free, Hateful and Posted: Rethinking First Amendment Protection of Hate Speech in a Social Media World
Hashtag Hate: The Need for Regulating Malignant Rhetoric Online
How to Fix Social Media Before It's Too Late an Early Investor on How Faceb
Overcoming Extremism - Ifeoma Ozoma Episode information: Overcoming extremism is going to require leadership from not only the public sector but from the private sector as well, and especially from tech companies. Ifeoma Ozoma is the public policy and social impact manager at Pinterest, the very popular internet platform. Pinterest has decided to do everything they can to make their platform safe for all their users. Safe from hate, safe from dangerous medical misinformation and safe from extremism. In the process, Ifeoma herself has been targeted by extremists. But that hasn’t stopped her work, or Pinterest’s. As you’ll hear, this company’s work against extremism doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes protocols, teams, follow through, and help from users.
Social Media are Destroying the Democratic Culture that the First Amendment is Meant to Protect
State Power to Regulate Social Media Companies to Prevent Voter Suppression
Stress Test for Free Speech: Social Media are Destroying the Democratic Culture that the First Amendment is Meant to Protect
Technology Firms Shape Political Communication: The Work of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Google With Campaigns During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Cycle

How do I Verify Information?

First Draft News First Draft – a project of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government – uses research-based methods to fight mis- and disinformation online. Additionally, it provides practical and ethical guidance in how to find, verify and publish content sourced from the social web.
For Facts’ Sake: Fact-checking matters Tools and resources from Poynter's Daniel Funke.
The News Literacy Project The News Literacy Project is a national education nonprofit offering nonpartisan, independent programs that teach students how to know what to believe in the digital age.
Online Verification Skills Video series on some basic fact checking techniques.
Poynter: Fact-Checking Poynter's roundup of news on fact-checking and misinformation.

Harmony Square

Harmony Square
Harmony Square is a "game about fake news." As the player, you take on the role of the town's Chief Disinformation Officer, and it's your job to sow dissent and stoke the tensions in town through the use of social media, troll bot farms, and deceptive news sources.

Factitious - the Pandemic Edition

Factitious - the Pandemic Edition
How good will you be at spotting fake from real news in this Pandemic edition.