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The News Literacy Project provides a list of ten questions to assess the likelihood that information is fake news. Below are five of those questions. To see all ten, visit newslit.org
1. Gauge your emotional reaction:
Is it strong? Are you angry? Are you intensely hoping that the information turns out to be true? False?
2. Consider the headline or main message:
a. Does it use excessive punctuation (!!!) or ALL CAPS for emphasis?
b. Does it make a claim about containing a secret or telling you something that “the media” doesn’t want you to know?
3. Consider the source of the information:
a. Is it a well-known source?
b. Is there a byline (an author’s name) attached to this piece?
c. Go to the website’s “About” section: Does the site describe itself as a “fantasy news” or “satirical news” site?
d. Does the person or organization that produced the information have any editorial standards?
e. Does the “contact us” section include an email address that matches the domain (not a Gmail or Yahoo email address)?
f. Does a quick search for the name of the website raise any suspicions?
4. Does the example you’re evaluating have a current date on it?
5. Does the example cite a variety of sources, including official and expert sources? Does the information this example provides appear in reports from (other) news outlets?
