How to Spot Fake News: Be a Smarter Surfer Presented by Liz Ryan and Erin Robinson Derry Public Library Learn how to spot fake news and pick up strategies on cross referencing, fact checking and avoiding propaganda!

1. Be a smart surfer!

2.  Fake news websites are websites that
deliberately spread hoaxes, propaganda, and
disinformation.
 Fake News sites are different from satirical
sites like ‘The Onion’, a humor-based
website.
 Fake News stories usually spread through
social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and
Reddit.
 Often, fake news will mimic real headlines
and twist the story.

4.  According to Pew Research, 38% of adults often get news
online, either from news websites/apps (28%), on social
media (18%) or both. And digital consumption of the news
has grown.
 From Pew: 64% of adults feel that fake news causes a great
deal of confusion.

8. “Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of
democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will
select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda
and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what to read and
believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free
press in order to be “protected” against what others think may be bad for them.
We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.”
--Freedom to Read Statement
American Library Association

9.  If you see a story, check who is reporting it. If it’s a
mainstream source, chances are, it’s true. If it’s a site you’ve
never heard of, be skeptical.

12.  Watch for headline and content typos.
 Watch for excessive punctuation!!!!!
 Watch for biased vocabulary.
 Example: “Immigrants” vs. “Illegals”

13.  Can you click through or check a source
referenced in an article?
 Have you ever heard of the source before?
 Does the website have an ABOUT section?
 Does the ABOUT section state a bias?
 Identify if you are reading a News Article or
an Opinion Piece
 Who are the authors/journalists and what are
their credentials?

15. A humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied (often with
slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.
Your friendly
neighborhood
librarian
wants you to
fact check
your memes.

17. There are three great fact checking sites you
should be aware of:
1. Snopes.com: Checks everything from
political news to viral stories.
2. Politifact.com: Pulitzer prize winning fact
checking site.
3. Factcheck.org: Fact checks politics and
science stories.

18.  Don’t just rely on one source- see if other sources
report on the same thing.
◦ If your first source is lesser known, see if two
mainstream sources report the same story.
 See if the source is an article or an opinion piece. If
it is an opinion piece, seek out a news article on
the subject as well.
◦ Check sources mentioned in opinion pieces to
ensure they are reliable.
 See if it’s reported in a print source, like a
newspaper.

19.  Google is a massive index that any person on the
planet can contribute to
 The library has databases and books:
of sourced information.
◦ Masterfile:1700 periodicals
◦ Newspaper Source: 40 international newspapers and 389
regional U.S. newspapers
◦ TopicSearch: 150,961 articles from 451 diverse sources.
 The library also has reference librarians which are
professional retrievers of information, and we
generally love puzzles.

20. How will you incorporate access to information
into your lifestyle?
 Always on FB and Twitter? Follow some mainstream
news sources.
 Have a device? Set up your news
app so you get news straight from
the source.
 READ beyond the headline—Read for context.
 Sharing news? Share directly from the source or cite the
source within the comments section to back up your
arguments and opinions.
 See who is saying what (Example: Allsides.com)

22.  Remember that information exists off of the
internet as well.
 The library has books on every topic if you
would like to explore or add context to what
you already know. (biographies, politics,
opposing viewpoints)
 Regional newspapers in house: Boston Globe,
Union Leader, Eagle Tribune, Derry News,
Nutfield News and the Hippo.

23.  Dicker, Rachel, ‘Avoid These Fake News Sites at All Costs’ US News and World
Report ‘Nov. 14, 2016, http://www.usnews.com/news/national-
news/articles/2016-11-14/avoid-these-fake-news-sites-at-all-costs Accessed
January 28th, 2017

24.  1. Donald Trump’s ‘People’ quote

26.  2. Hillary Clinton wears an ear piece!

28.  3. Did a bong explosion burn a girl?

30. Presented by Liz Ryan and Erin Robinson
www.derrypl.org