A Guide to Fact-Checking

In these times, misinformation and rumors can spread much more quickly than the coronavirus itself. Remain calm and fact-check news posted on your social media networks or distributed through hearsay in a conversation. Use these methods outlined below to help you determine between fact and fiction.

Verify Your News

Do your due diligence and verify whether any information you receive outside of a governmental source, such as WHO or CDC, is legitimate. Check to see if they've been reported in a mainstream news source. If you can't locate one, treat the information with skepticism. Better yet, you may find articles that fact-check the false claim and uncover a hoax. You can also look to see if websites like Snopes has already fact-checked a claim.

Investigate The Source

If you've received the news from a publication, investigate the integrity of the source. There are news sources devoted to spreading false information by mixing it in with fact or serve news with a severe bias or agenda. Do a search on the name of the publication to learn about their reputation. Major news sources tend to have a Wikipedia entry. You can also use Media Bias/Fact Check to assist with this.

Useful Links