I was having a conversation with a friend who saw what looked like a movie poster on Facebook for the movie Elf 2. Now this person was a huge fan of the first Elf movie, so of course, was excited that there may be a second. But then they awkwardly admitted that they have no idea if it’s true or not because it’s so easy to generate fake news and fake images these days. As they said that, they let out a huge sigh, so I asked what the sigh was for. They said it’s frustrating not knowing what’s true and what’s not, and who’s being honest and who’s not. So I thought I’d come up with a few things you can do if you’re trying to fact-check something.
Please note these are some of my personal favorites. And you can fact-check me because maybe my fact-checking is off!
If you look for some of your own, I think my only recommendation would be to make sure that they are independent. Regardless, always check your sources. Happy fact-checking.
First, you have to debate how to pronounce this one! Is it a made-up word, “snope” or is it a play on snoop, like snoop around?
Regardless, it is a great go-to site to find out if those stories you see online are true. From celebrity gossip to news, they give the yes or no pretty clearly. In researching for this post I learned it is also one of the oldest, making it quite reputable.
2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fact-checking_websites
I don’t think everyone is a fan, but I do love Wikipedia. Maybe it’s because my family had Encyclopedias at home, and growing up that is what we used for the major source of our book reports. If you are asking what a book report is just go ahead and move along and keep reading.
3. FactCheck.org: A non-profit project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. It focuses on U.S. politics, monitoring the factual accuracy of statements made by major players.
4. Google Fact Check Explorer: A search tool from Google that helps you find existing fact checks from reputable organizations around the world. You can search by keyword or upload an image.
Remember, no matter where information comes from, it’s great to get a back up confirmation. Sort of like getting a second opinion from a doctor, or an estimate for work done.
Just the facts!
