doing credible background research in a fake news world

Credible Information in a “Fake News” World

with Margot Carmichael Lester

© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

We don’t just need to be careful about our personal

news consumption.

We need to be vigilant about the background

sources we use in producing our own news.


Why We Care About Credible Background Info

•75% of Americans said it was difficult to determine what news is accurate and what is not.

Source: Weber Shandwick, public affairs firm Powell Tate and KRC Research



•>80% of middle schoolers believed that 'sponsored content' was a real news story.


Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning


•>80% of high school students accepted photographs as presented, without verifying them.




•75% of high school students didn’t recognize verified news accounts on social media.




•>66% of undergrads didn’t think a source’s political agenda was a sign the person or data might be unreliable.




•82% of Americans are concerned about the impact fake news can have on the credibility of news and information in the media.

Source: Weber Shandwick, public affairs firm Powell Tate and KRC Research


Created with Haiku DeckPhoto by ©athrine - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/7573447@N05

What is Fake News?

Fabricated news accounts intended to spread virally online.


What isn’t Fake News?

“The Onion” or “ComPost” aren’t fake news — they’re satire.

Sensational headlines aren’t fake news — they’re clickbait.


What isn’t Fake News?

Stories and sources that show a highly partisan bias aren’t necessarily fake news or unreliable — they’re biased.


What is Bias? Noun: Prejudice in favor or against something or someone, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Verb: Cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for against something or someone.


“It has been a busy day for presidential statements divorced from reality. Mr. Trump said this morning that any polls that show disapproval of his immigration ban are fake. He singled out a federal judge for ridicule after the judge suspended his ban, and Mr. Trump said that the ruling now means that anyone can enter the country. The president’s fictitious claims, whether imaginary or fabricated, are now worrying even his backers, particularly after he insisted that millions of people voted illegally, giving Hillary Clinton her popular-vote victory. There is not one state election official, Democrat or Republican, who supports that claim.”

Photo by __andrew - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License https://www.flickr.com/photos/81917335@N00 Created with Haiku Deck

What is a Fact?

Something that can be checked and backed up with evidence.

There is no alternative.

EXAMPLE: The Space Needle was built

in 1962.© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

What is an Opinion?

A belief or point of view, not necessarily based on evidence

that can be checked.

EXAMPLE: The Space Needle is beautiful.



•News Outlets •Books & Reports by Trusted Authors •Third-Party Research & Industry Groups

•Government Data •Experts

1. Collect Credible Sources


•Evaluate the URL & headline •Beware a lot of all caps & excessive modifiers

•Notice ads or pop-ups •Check out contextual links & related content

•Look for bylines, post dates, quotes & references to trusted sources

2. Look Around


•Look at the About Page •Search for mentions on fact-checking and reliabilty sites

•Check out individuals on Linkedin and other social media

•Ask beat reporters and others

3. Ask Around


•Review 2 or 3 other reports, data sets, experts, etc., on the same issue

•Compare the information and angles

4. Find Other Instances

So?Improving your ability to suss out trustworthy background research is crucial to serving your community.

A stronger nose for news makes you a better journalist and makes your paper or show a better product.


with Margot Carmichael Lester Twitter: @word_factory

Blog: thewordfactory.com/our-blog Instagram: @beabetterwriter

Thanks for attending


Credible Information in a “Fake News” World

doing credible background research in a fake news world

Education