Rules of Thumb for misinformation

Rules of Thumb for misinformation

Sometimes what we see in the news and online is inaccurate, misleading, or untrue. Please take a moment to read the tips below for spotting when news might not be true.

1. Check the news source. Is the source familiar? If you haven’t heard about it before, the news may not be true.
2. Assess the content. Is the claim logical? Have you tried googling the headline to see if it is supported by other media?
3. Check your bias. Would you like the news to be true? If so be careful – we are more likely to fall for false news that we agree with.
4. Monitor your memory. Is the story familiar? Sometimes we believe something simply because we’ve heard it before.