Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, news channels, text chain letters, and endless emails, we are bombarded all day (and night) with information. Most often, whether we believe that information, or not, depends on where/who it came from and whether it confirms beliefs we already hold. With a reignited civil rights movement, global pandemic and looming election, there is no end to the articles, tweets, posts and texts. While we know we shouldn’t believe everything we see or hear, we don’t necessarily have the time to figure out what is true and what is not. So, what can you do?
Think before you share. Use the chart to the right help you evaluate that article, video clip, or mass email you received.
Call out fake news when you see it on social media by reporting it.
Call in the person who shared the information. They may not have known it was fake. So, gently share factual information with them so that they can understand.
Evaluate your own sharing habits. Did you read the WHOLE article or watch the video? Do you evaluate your own sources? Question your biases?
Improve your own media literacy and learn what to look for by visiting www.newslit.org.
Need to fact check a post? Try these nonpartisan, nonprofit sites that provide research and background information for popular issues on social media and in the news:
Snopes https://www.snopes.com/
Politifact https://www.politifact.com/
Fact Check https://www.factcheck.org/