Subject Guides: Human Rights: Evaluating Web and News Sources

Human Rights: Evaluating Web and News Sources

Evaluating Web and News Sources

As a student, researcher, and consumer of information, you can grow your skills for evaluating and verifying the information and sources you use. This guide begins with videos that will give you skills and tools to use as you evaluate news sources. You will also see the the SIFT method, which allows you to slow down and evaluate the information you see online. Then, you will find links to fact checking organizations and a chart that shows you the bias of popular news sources to help you evaluate sources.

Online Verification Skills

SIFT: The Four Moves

Here is an overview of the four moves to help you evaluate web sources like a fact checker from Mike Caulfield, featured in the videos above. For a more detailed explanation, visit Mike Caulfield's website Hapgood.

1. Stop: Do you know the website or source of information? If not, use the other moves to find out. Do not read or share media until you do. Also, as you do the other moves, don't get overwhelmed or go down a rabbit hole. Stop, and remind yourself of your purpose.

2. Investigate the source: Do a quick search to find the source of the media. Knowing the expertise and the agenda of the source before you read the information will change your interpretation of it.

3. Find trusted coverage: Find other sources that you trust on the same topic, or scan multiple sources to get more than one perspective.

4. Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original source: This will allow you to see things within their original context.

Media Bias Chart

Ad Fontes Media - Campus Pro Portal
Ad Fontes Media's Campus Pro Portal provides access to the Interactive Media Bias Chart which rates source on reliability and bias.

Fact-Checking Tools With Craig Silverman and Jane Lytvyneko

Fact-checking organizations

FactCheck
A nonpartisan, nonprofit site that aims to reduce deception & confusion in U.S. politics by monitoring the factual accuracy of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, & news releases.
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from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
PolitiFact
fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics
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run by editors & reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, & PunditFact
Snopes
Provides fact-checking and in-depth reporting
FAIR Studies
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Studies explore particular media issues or outlets in-depth, adding hard numbers to debates over media content and journalistic practices.
Media Matters for America
offers progressive media analysis & correction of conservative misinformation
PRWatch
Center for Media and Democracy is a "watchdog" group that conducts investigations into corruption & the influence of corporations on media & democracy.