Evaluating News Sources
Evaluating News Sources
Currency.Relevance.Authority.Accuracy.Purpose
Currency: Is this a recent article?
Relevance: Is the article relevant? Does the content match the headline?
Authority: Who is the author? What are the author's credentials? What is the domain of the website?
Accuracy: Is this article from an reputable and unbiased source?
Purpose: Does this article provoke an emotional response?
Library News Resources
- Current Events and News (Rutgers LibGuide)Links to various types of consumer information, current event, and popular culture sites.
- Evaluating Information TutorialsThese tutorials and videos cover the basics of evaluating resources for authority, accuracy, and other criteria.
- FACTIVAAccess to current news from publications such as NYT, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, and others.
- The New York TimesRutgers University Libraries’ subscription to The New York Times allows all Rutgers affiliates to create free NYTimes.com personal accounts, which provide full access to NYTimes.com and The New York Times app.
- Rutgers Libraries Newspaper GuideA guide to the primary databases and collections for newspapers. Also includes links for NY, NJ, PA newspapers. Current and Historical
- The Wall Street JournalDirect access to the Wall Street Journal. (Rutgers Restricted)
Before you Share
BEFORE YOU SHARE
A bit about CLICKBAIT. Every time a story is clicked on, money is made. It doesn't matter if it is accurate or authoritative- YOU must determine those qualities before you share or click.
EMOTION: What emoji does it make you want to use? Misinformation, disinformation and propaganda are all designed specifically to elicit a strong emotional response. Check your confirmation bias, approach with informed skepticism.
VERIFY: Are there links to other sources to back up the facts? Does the information appear on other news sites? Can you find the original source of a story or image shared widely on social media? Can it be verified by fact checking websites?
AUTHORS: Google the author. What else have they the written? Find information to determine authority.
SOURCE: Check the URL. What is the source's intent? Links to other sources? Reverse Google search images that accompany the article. Verify embedded videos and tweets.
Evaluating News Sources Workshop Room
- Evaluating News Source Workshopgo to the workshop room
Check the Source. Confirm the Facts
Types of Mis- and Disinformation
It is vital to understand the types of fake news that exist in order to understand and combat them. 
7 Types of Mis-and Disinformation (First Draft)
Satire or Parody: No intention to cause harm but has potential to fool.
Misleading Content: Misleading use of information to frame an issue or individual.
Imposter Content: When genuine sources are impersonated.
Fabricated Content: New content is 100% false, designed to deceive and do harm.
False Connection: When headlines, visuals or captions don't support the content.
False Context: When genuine content is shared with false contextual information.
Manipulated Content: When genuine information or imagery is manipulated to deceive.
- First DraftMisinformation is damaging our communities, all around the world. At First Draft, we work to empower people with the knowledge, understanding, and tools needed to build resilience against harmful, false, and misleading information, in the moments that matter.
Spotting Fake News
