What exactly can determine whether or not a news source is biased, or releases fake news? Read below to find out.
1. Check the URL of the news story you're reading.
If the URL has numbers in it that do not belong to the news channel reporting (such as News Channel 5, or ABC 7), then you may be reading a fake site. If the URL is listed from The Onion, it is a satirical news source. If the URL resembles a real news site but is misspelled, then you may be reading fake news. Keep your eyes peeled, friends.
2. Locate the author's name and credentials.
On this article, you will see my name (Miura Rempis), community (Middle Tennessee State University), date of posting (most likely the beginning of the week), and a cheeky photo of me holding a packet in front of the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a pretty common set up for created content or freelance journalism, as well as on well-known media outlets. Sometimes, this information is posted directly after the conclusion of the article. Be on the lookout for credit given to the author. Sometimes, fake news outlets will credit authors with fake awards, such as small news outlets having authors with national writing awards. These are dead giveaways.
3. Look at their cited works.
Quotes a tweet? Google it. Quotes a speech? Google it. Quotes a law or proposal? Search your state archives for the bills' title. Claims a crime happened? Snopes it. This is one of the trickier ways fake news outlets reel in unsuspecting fake news spreaders; if something tangible can be cited in an article, most readers won't check to verify that info.
4. Read usernames and check for verification logo.
@DonaldTrump and @realDonaldTrump are different accounts. But beware, there are also fake Twitter generators that use real usernames and timestamps. The Internet is a crazy place.
PS- It can also be extremely entertaining to create fake tweets from your favorite celebrities talking about yourself. Or so I've heard. Totally have never done that before. Ever.
5. Look for bias (unintentional fake news).
It is no secret that Fox News is a conservative news outlet, nor that CNN is a liberal news outlet. Because of this kind of bias, unintentional fake news occurs. Most hesitate to actually call this fake news, but it's listed here because news sources often report to their audience in a perceptive way. The bias is intentional, the fake news aspect is often not.
There are obviously many ways to tell whether a news source is producing fake news, and the above are just a handful of ways! Happy news reading, y'all.
