Research Guides: Media Literacy: Manage Your Sources

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.

Tips and Tricks

Evaluating News Sites: Credible or Clickbait?
A 30-minute learning activity from Candice Benjes-Small, Head of Information Literacy and Outreach at Radford University, November 2016
Fact-check Yourself Before You Fact-wreck Yourself
A guide written by one of the fact-checkers for NPR's "This American Life," April 2017
A Finder's Guide to Facts
NPR, December 2016
"On The Media" Podcast
An award-winning weekly public radio show produced by WNYC analyzing the media's impact on our perception of current events
Skills and Strategies - Fake News vs. Real News
Tools and activities from the New York Times' Learning Network, October 2015
This Is How You Can Stop Fake News From Spreading on Facebook
Quick step-by-step guide from Buzzfeed, November 2016
Tips for Analyzing News Sources
Google Doc compiled by Melissa Zimdars, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media at Merrimack College, November 2016

Tips For Evaluating the News

How to Choose Your News

Some 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.)