Fact-Checking Sites
There are several sites dedicated to fact-checking. When you encounter a new claim, check with these to see if someone has already investigated the claim.
- SnopesAn independent fact-checking network that started with investigating urban legends and hoaxes, but has expanded to broad investigation of claims, and putting them in context.
- PolitiFactA non-profit fact-checking organization operated by the Poynter Institute. PolitiFact rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and other public figures.
- FactCheck.orgOperated by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, FactCheck.org calls itself a "consumer advocate" for voters to reduce confusion and disinformation about political issues in the US.
- MediaWiseA fact-checking network from the Poynter Institute, MediaWise focuses on claims from social media and walks viewers through the fact-checking process.
When fact-checking sites don't have the information you're looking for, try a general web search on the topic you're investigating and add the term "fact check" to see if others have investigated the claim.
Follow fact-checkers' strategies
In addition to taking advantage of pre-existing fact checks, there are several steps you can take for better media literacy and verifying information. These strategies are from the book Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers:
Read upstream
Reading upstream is the practice of finding the original source of a claim, so you're not basing your information on someone else's interpretation. For example, if you read that the CDC suggested a strategy, go find the original CDC recommendation and verify what they actually said.
Read laterally
When you find information online, it's often from a source you're not familiar with. Search what others say about the source before you read their content. Is this a site you can trust? What do other experts in the field say about the author or the source in which it's published?
Circle Back
Research is an iterative process; information you learn while you're searching can help you search better next time. If you get stuck, go back to your original question and start a new search based on what you've learned. You might find it's easier to navigate to good information after you've got a baseline of information.
