Five ways to spot fake news

Can you spot fake news? Watch this video from Common Sense Media to learn how to check out news to see if it's true or not. It's not always easy to tell! 

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Transcript

Here are five ways to spot fake news.

Number one: Look for unusual URLs. If they end with lo or .com.co, chances are they aren't legitimate news sites.
Number two: Dissect the layout. Look for grammatical errors, incorrect dates, bold claims with no sources and sensationalist images. These are all red flags.
Number three: Dig deeper. Find out who wrote the article and who supports the site. If this information doesn't exist or you need to register to get it, then question why.
Number four: Cross-check. Use fact-checking sites to confirm information and see whether other credible news outlets are reporting similar news.
Number five: Try a reverse image search. If the same picture appears in unrelated stories, you may have a reason to be suspicious.

For more media literacy tips, visit us at commonsense.org.

© Common Sense

Discussion

Do you always check whether news you read online is true or not? Did you learn anything new from these tips?

Average: 2.3 (3 votes)
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Comments

Submitted by LauraMar on Tue, 09/20/2022 - 23:30

Do you always check the website design? Did you learn something new? Do you have an idea about what the fake news can do if the persons think that are real? I don't check the URL of the website. Yes. I know now what things I can use in a website.

Submitted by WC on Fri, 05/06/2022 - 06:43

Now I know what's real what's fake
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Submitted by CelestialBeing on Fri, 09/04/2020 - 08:26

It is very useful!
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Submitted by Andrii on Fri, 03/27/2020 - 12:45

I rarely check the information online but I will know how to check it.
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Submitted by Saionji on Tue, 12/25/2018 - 07:05

This was very helpful, thanks a lot! To be honest I don't always check the news I read unless there is a certain news that is very important for me, otherwise I just ignore it. I neither believe it nor say its fake.
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Submitted by Golab50 on Sat, 03/10/2018 - 20:52

No I'm not always checking news online, but I think I will start to do it !
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