Having a hard time telling what’s up and what’s down? 🥴 No, that’s not vertigo. You might have a case of WTF Is Happening Syndrome.🧑⚕️ It’s highly contagious, especially in an election year.
Yeah, fact checkers are everywhere, but some of them are just as fake news as the fake news they’re trying to debunk. So how do you know if you’re reading the real deal? 🤔 We’ve got some top tips to help you stay sane!
Here’s Five Fast Facts on how to fact check like a pro:
- ✅ Gangsta Lean - Come across an article on an election hot topic? Always look for bias AKA a tone that seems like it’s leaning towards a certain point of view. A good way to spot bias is to look for language that sounds like it’s either in favor of or opposed to the topic of discussion. Also check any links in the article. Are they links to websites or images that favor either the right or the left? If so, you might not be getting the full story.
- 🐑 In Sheep’s Clothing - To fact check a fact check, inspect the dates. Just like the food in your fridge, old facts get moldy. You want the most up-to-date info you can find. A good fact check should always include a source link. If you look under the hood enough, you might find that “fact checker” is really a biased think tank. Another pro tip: websites that have weird ending URLs are a red flag. For example, if you see one ending in .edu but there’s also a .co after it, it’s most likely bogus.
- 💡 Just the Facts, Ma’am - Looking for a solid fact checking site? Media Bias Fact Check (MBFC) leans on the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) when evaluating the political/factual bias of over 8,000 media sources (left, center-left, least biased, center-right, right, pro-science, conspiracy and pseudo-science, questionable sources, and satire). They also show you their fact checking formula and cite their sources.
- 🗳️ Poll Position - Want another good one? Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan encyclopedia that aims to connect people to politics with a neutral point-of-view. You can even enter your address and get all the facts on who’s on your local ballot so you can make the best decision!
- 🔮 Spidey Senses - When you’re sifting through the BS, don’t forget to trust your gut. If you see a post that’s loud and full of hype, be skeptical. Also, don’t believe everything people send you on social media, even if it’s coming from someone you trust. Always trace those posts back to their original source to be sure!
🔥Bottom line: It’s a jungle out there! Arm yourself with these down to earth tactics on your next fact-finding mission. You’ve got this, champ. Wanna know how presidential elections impact the stock market? Read all about it here.
Got any more fact checking tips to share?
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