Fake News

Here are some tips for questioning sources to prevent fake news from spreading:

Think before you share – Most fake news is spread through social media. Before sharing or referencing a news story, read the entire article with the evaluative techniques you’ve picked up in this guide. There are some helpful sites to help you validate information in the Fact Checking area on this guide.

Be Skeptical – Ask yourself the following questions and do a simple Google search to determine the answers to the following: Who is the author and what affiliations do they have? What organizations are sharing their work? Who is paying them for the work they produce?

Verify - Is the article you are interested in sharing or referencing backed up by other reputable news outlets? Always check to see if other reputable news sites are reporting on the same story and using the same data. If the site is sharing qualitative or quantitative data, is the data used backed by empirical evidence? Perform a Cyclone Search and verify claims through existing access to scientific data and statistics.

Remember Cyclones, always interpret and evaluate your sources!