Media Literacy and Identifying Legitimate Information

When it comes to complicated topics, you may wonder, how do I decide what to read, how do I decide what to believe? Today, most people get their information from the Internet and social media, where anyone can post anything. Now more than ever, it is important to know how to spot misinformation (false or inaccurate information) and disinformation (false information which is deliberately intended to mislead).  

Here are a few things to consider and investigate when reading news or choosing sources: 

Fact-Check 

Could that larger-than-life headline actually be true? Find out with some common fact-checking resources, like:  

• Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/  
• Politifact: https://www.politifact.com/ 

You don’t have to just take their word for it – here are some other fact-checking strategies:  

• Find the original source. If there’s a video clip or a recording, where did it come from? What was the context?  
• Reverse-image search. (Fans of the TV show Catfish will be familiar!) Also, watch out for AI-generated images, like the fake photo of Pope Francis wearing a stylish winter coat. Remember, seeing isn’t necessarily believing.  
• Practice lateral reading. Lateral reading means looking at other sources to see if they corroborate each other. Basically, instead of evaluating whether a single source is trustworthy or not, consult other sources to see what they have to say. For example, if someone posts on social media that coffee is good / bad for you, you could search the internet to see what medical authorities say about it (instead of deciding whether to take your acquaintance’s word for it). For more information, see: https://newslit.org/tips-tools/expand-your-view-with-lateral-reading 
• Consider five factors (taken from Rumor Guard) when confronted with new information: 
  • Is it authentic? 
  • Has it been posted or confirmed by a credible source? 
  • Is there evidence that proves the claim? 
  • Is the context accurate? 
  • Is it based on solid reasoning?

Beating Bias 

It’s important to consider the author/journalist’s credentials, education, and possible personal bias when reading a book or article or watching a news program. This also goes for different newspapers and news companies. Each has a bias, and it is important to know their background. 

So how can you balance out the bias?  

• Ad Fontes Media has an interactive graphic of news sources along left/right bias, as well as whether the source specializes in fact reporting (which should have little to no bias), analysis (which will offer a perspective on facts), to unfair or incomplete coverage (https://adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart/).  
• Ground News collects a myriad of articles about certain topics, events, and stories and shows the bias and factuality of each source. 
• Fortunately, Kenton County Public Library has a Current Events resources page with a wide spectrum of news sources: https://www.kentonlibrary.org/resources/current-events/  
• Especially in our algorithm-driven age, it can be easy to fall into silos or echo chambers where we only hear one point of view. Consider intentionally reading a different perspective once a week. The library resource, Opposing Viewpoints, is a convenient way to find different perspectives on often controversial topics!

Spotting Fake News 

Here are some things to look out for:  

• Urgent appeals. Scammers will use this tactic, too – they will say you need to ACT NOW, OR ELSE.  
• Emotionally manipulative language. Fake news propagators will often play on strong emotions, like anger or fear. Think of how many conspiracy theories involve children being at risk – it’s an effective way of riling people up to take action. (To learn more, there’s an online game “Bad News” where you learn how bad actors operate by pretending to be one of them: https://www.getbadnews.com/books/english/) 
• Spelling errors. Unlike established news sources, there aren’t staff dedicated to copy editing and quality control. However, AI tools like ChatGPT are making it easier to generate realistic, error-free text. Look out for AI-like language (impersonal, vague, etc.), and use lateral reading to verify suspicious news stories. 
• Educate yourself. Seek out resources that teach how to spot fake news. News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit, works to teach news and media literacy to students, but also have webinars and resources for how to spot misinformation, while also debunking falsehoods that are going viral.  

For more, check out these lists that feature books that teach about AI, disinformation, and media literacy: 

Debunking Disinformation   

AI: Artificial Intelligence 

Media Literacy for Kids 

Written by the Kelly Bilz, Janice Shepherd, and Lisa Clark, Collection Development Librarians