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Evaluating News, Social Media & Other Online Sources: Home

Developing best practices when searching for and reading articles online

Fake News

What do we mean when we say something is fake news? Fake news articles are fabricated stories that are intentionally deceptive. Fake news can be created for a variety of reasons, some of these reasons are to trick and mislead readers/viewers, to encourage clicks (click bait), and/or to make money. It's important to keep in mind that just because you disagree with an idea or opinion does not make something fake news. 

This guide has been created to help you determine the credibility of the information you read and the sources you find. It's also here to help you develop best practices when searching for and reading articles online. 

Information and Its Counterfeits

  • Information - Information tells us something that is understandable and has the potential to become knowledge for us when we view it critically and add it to what we already know.
  • Propaganda - Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation etc.
  • Misinformation -  Erroneous or incorrect information. Misinformation may not always be deliberate; it's just wrong or mistaken.
  • Disinformation - Deliberately false information

Evaluating information. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2017 from http://guides.library.jhu.edu/c.php?g=202581&p=1334961

Materials from the Library's Science Seminar Presentation

The Filter Bubble & How Google Works

Google uses an algorithm to find your search results. This means that Google finds and shows you the most visible and popular links. The results you see may not be the most trustworthy sites/articles and therefore may not be the best information out there for your information need.

This video sheds light on how information is organized, visible, and accessible online, in particular Facebook, Google, and other various news sites. 

Six Easy Ways To Tell If That Viral Story Is A Hoax

Websites to know about