Fake News: Fake news

student guide for detecting fake news and finding reliable information

Artificial intelligence and fake news

Artificial intelligence changing politics with fake images and videos (2:42 minutes) NBC News clip

AI-generated disinformation poses threat of misleading voters in 2024 election
PBS News article, May 2023
Learning to lie: AI tools adept at creating disinformation
Associated Press, January 2023
Why you shouldn’t trust AI search engines
M.I.T. Technology Review, May 2023

Where does fake news come from?

Musk’s X is the biggest purveyor of disinformation, EU official says
Associated Press, Sept. 2023
From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece
from New York Times, Jan. 18, 2017
USC study reveals the key reason why fake news spreads on social media
From University of Southern California, Jan. 2023
How is Fake News Spread? Bots, People like You, Trolls, and Microtargeting
From the Center for Information Technology and Society at U.C. Santa Barbara
Fake News: Lies spread faster on social media than truth does
from NBC, March 2018
How does "Fake News" Become News?
Video from Learning for Justice, 6:39 minutes.

Who starts fake Covid news?

Fake News Generator: Who starts viral misinformation? - BBC News (2:44 minutes) Conspiracy theories and speculation about coronavirus have flooded social media. But who starts these rumors? And who spreads them?

Test yourself! Are these stories credible?

Go deeper into misinformation

Understanding Information Disorder
From First Draft, 2020.
The Psychology of Misinformation
From First Draft, 2020.
Countering Truth Decay
A RAND Corporation Initiative to Restore the Role of Facts and Analysis in Public Life.
It’s not just a social media problem – how search engines spread misinformation
From The Conversation, 2021.
Is What You See Really What You Get? Explore visual misinformation
Learn about "cheap fakes" and "deep fakes." Part of the Data Detox Kit.
News Literacy Project
The News Literacy Project offers resources including an e-learning platform, an app, a new podcast, shareable tips, tools and quizzes. Be sure to checkout the Rumor Guard and'Combating COVID-19 vaccine misinformation'.

Protect yourself from misinformation and other forms of fake news with these steps:

Multiple studies have shown that false news spreads faster than true news on social media. (Example). Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are being used to create powerful disinformation campaigns. Use these tips to protect yourself from lies and hoaxes.

1. Slow down and take a second look! Watch for these red flags

no listing of the source of the picture or information
strange web address (example abcnews.com.co)
purposeful evoking of outrage or other strong emotions
logic-defying pictures or text

2. Do a web search to find other sources for the story. But be careful! There may be lots of sites that link to stories with the same misinformation. Research studies show that people who "do the research" about a false story may become MORE likely to believe it because their Google search retrieves low-quality results that reinforce the fake or misleading story. Unless you find the story in a trusted site, keep investigating.

3. Look up the story in a trusted fact checking site. (See recommended fact checking tools below.)

4. Find the original source of an image through Tin Eye or a Google image search.

5. Look for the story in a trusted news source or library database. (See next tab for recommended trusted news sources.)
6. Use your own critical thinking skills. Is the story emotionally manipulative? Does this story really make sense?

Fact checking resources

Tips for fact checking! Use the websites below to help you determine the reliability and bias of the information provided by a source. For example, look up the claims, author credentials and organization names mentioned in the source.

Snopes
The definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.
AP News - "Not Real News"
Associated Press weekly round up of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week.
AFP Fact Check
France-based international fact-checking service, monitoring content in languages and regions around the world.
FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
Fact Checker
From the Washington Post, "the truth behind the rhetoric."
First Draft News
Tracks and evaluates information that emerges online.
Politifact Truth-o-Meter
Nonpartisan that evaluates the accuracy of claims made by US political officeholders, candidates, consultants, advisers, special interest groups, and pundits.
Science Feedback
A not-for-profit organization verifying the credibility of influential claims and media coverage that claims to be scientific, starting with the topics of climate and health.
Truth or Fiction
Non-partisan “mythbusting” website about urban legends, Internet rumors, “erumors”, e-mail forwards, and other questionable pictures or stories.

Source evaluation resources

Wikipedia
Yes, Wikipedia! This is the first stop for professional fact checkers. Follow the links for the original sources.
Media Bias Fact Check
Resource for determining media bias through research and consumer opinions. Media Bias/Fact Check also provides occasional fact checks, original articles on media bias and breaking/important news stories.
AllSides.com
Looks at the treatment of the same current news stories and issues from media sources considered conservative, centrist, and liberal. Helps readers identify bias and avoid polarization.