Research Guides: Podcasting: Tools for Discovery: News Literacy

How Social Media News Feed Algorithms Work

Organizations

Center for News Literacy
From Stony Brook University: School of Journalism
OpenSecrets.org: Center for Responsive Politics
Nonpartisan research group investigating and reporting data about money's influence on US elections and public policy
Poynter
Journalism organization that recently established an International Fact Checking Code of Principles

Analyzing the News

Be aware of: bias, political propaganda, intentional disinformation, satire, attention-seeking click-bait, conspiracy theories, and sloppy reporting.

ASK: Who wrote it? Who benefits? Who is left out?

How to Spot Fake News

From IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), 2017.

Reliable Sources

AllSides
Shows how news stories are reported from different political perspectives
Associated Press
American nonprofit international news-gathering agency
BBC News
The world's largest broadcast news organization
NPR (National Public Radio)
A nonprofit membership media organization that syndicates to a network of 900 public radio stations in the U.S.
ProPublica
An independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest
Reuters
UK-based nonprofit international news agency

Washington Post (EBSCO) (2003-present) This link opens in a new window
An American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is a key source of news on the U.S. Congress, White House, Supreme Court, and national politics. (Note: This EBSCO version is easily browsable by date.)

Reports and Essays

Lies, Damn Lies, and Viral Content
How News Websites Spread (and Debunk) Online Rumors, Unverified Claims and Misinformation, by Craig Silverman
Source: Tow Center for Digital Journalism

Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online
Report from Data & Society, May 2017
Source: Data & Society
News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017
From Pew Research Center, Sept. 2017