"Does going 'viral' mean it's always true?"
Google is a powerful tool. So are cars. Without an accurate map or GPS, you can still wind up in the wrong place.
- "The Challenge That's Bigger Than Fake News: Civic Reasoning in a Social Media Environment."McGrew, S., Ortega, T., Breakstone, J., & Wineburg, S. (2017). The challenge that's bigger than fake news. American Educator, 4-9.
The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking by Call Number: Access online via EBSCOhostISBN: 9780226290768Publication Date: 2016-10-03
"Citizen Literacy" - Toolkit from the University of Louisville Libraries
- Citizen LiteracyCitizen Literacy, created by Robert Detmering, Amber Willenborg, and Terri Holtze for University of Louisville Libraries, is an online toolkit that promotes the development of key information skills for democratic citizenship and features short videos, handouts, and activities.
- Be A Fact-Checker: Lateral Reading"Be A Fact-Checker: Lateral Reading" is one of the video tutorials at 'Citizen Literacy,' created by Robert Detmering, Amber Willenborg, and Terri Holtze for University of Louisville Libraries
Media Literacy Standards to Counter Truth Decay
- Media Literacy Standards to Counter Truth DecayHuguet, Alice, Garrett Baker, Laura S. Hamilton, and John F. Pane, Media Literacy Standards to Counter Truth Decay. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2021. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA112-12.html. Report by the RAND Corporation; includes a list of competencies that instructors can use in the classroom.
Starting Points
The graphic below is based on the CRAAP checklist (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose), from the California State University, at Chico. However, all readers should be aware of the "lateral reading" fact-checking strategy, detailed above!
Benchmarks for Evaluating Quality
Become familiar with the qualities of scholarly / peer reviewed journals, and recognize long-standing reputable newspapers, magazines, and news organizations. Doing so will provide you benchmarks for evaluating information, wherever you find it.
