When searching for information online, it can sometimes be challenging to identify reputable resources. There are many websites that might appear legitimate, but they might actually post fake or misleading information alongside accurate information. What steps can be taken to help sort through potentially misleading information?

*Note – Numbers represent categories explained in the full document linked below.

Melissa Zimdars, an assistant professor of communication at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, put together a publicly available Google Document cataloging “False, misleading, clickbait-y and satirical ‘news’ sources.”  The document offers up sites that are known aggregators – they take news stories from other sources and rewrite them with more inflammatory headlines and without contextual facts. The document also lists some tips for analyzing news sources, and for how people can identify potentially fake news. Things like strange domain names, unusual domain extensions, and using ALL CAPS should be warning signs.

To see the document in full, please follow this link: False, misleading, clickbait-y and satirical ‘news’ sources

Contributed by Library Specialist, William Heinrich