However, much of this information is of questionable quality. As information explosion is gathering momentum, it's becoming more and more difficult to navigate the information and sift out poor quality sources.
I found an interesting blog post that offers four ways to differentiate between good and bad sources:
- Check the domain name
- Take a closer look at the source
- Search for additional information to back up what you have found
- Use certain sources only to jump-start additional research
What are you thoughts on this topic?
Hi Tatyana,
ReplyDeleteI did my produsage assignment on fake news, which goes hand in hand with good vs bad sources. Here's a list from one of the articles I found:
6 STEP ANALYSIS
One of our great strengths as a species is our ability to think critically and challenge accepted truths.
To help you analyze what comes up on your social media feed, sort the verified from the unverified on the web, here are 6 Steps (adapted from this source):
Step 1: Title/Domain Analysis
First check if words like “wordpress” or “blogger” are in the domain, this implies it is more likely to be a personal blog than a news source.
Second, check if the domain is a variation of an established news outlet (for example: abcnews.com.co) this could be a sign the website is faking credibility. Keep in mind that foreign reputable news organizations may have country-specific domains (bbc.co.uk or lemonde.fr for example).
Step 2: About Us Analysis.
Check out the About page. If there is none or no other identification, the website is not a legitimate source of information.
On the About Page, check up on the background of the organization. Some websites can be explicit on their political orientation, while others are vague. You can see if they have a Wikipedia page to gather more info and insert the names present on the page into a search engine to see if any else reported anything suspicious. Who are the writers, editors, publishers, domain owners?
Finally, check if the website has a “Legal” or “Disclaimer” section. Satirical websites for example disclose this information in those sections.
Step 3: Source Analysis
Does the website mention/link to a study or source? Look up the source/study. Do you think it’s being accurately reflected and reported? Are officials being cited? Can you confirm their quotes elsewhere? Verify details, facts, quotes, etc. with multiple sources.
Step 4: Writing Style Analysis
Does it frequently use ALL CAPS in headlines and/or body text? Does the headline or body of the text use words like WOW!, BOMBSHELL!, DESTROY!? Putting an emphasis on these types of words is a means to create emotional responses with readers that is avoided in more traditional styles of journalism.
Does the website follow a particular style guide? If not, this may also indicate a general lack of editing or fact-checking.
Step 5: Aesthetic Analysis
Many fake and questionable news sites have poor design. Pages with cluttered text and badly photoshopped images are a sign this may be not newsworthy.
Step 6: Social Media Analysis
We live in a world where news travels fast, where likes, retweets, clickthroughs, and shares are key. Do the headlines and posts rely on sensational or provocative language - aka clickbait?
It can also be useful to check whether the headlines and blurbs match the content of the article, it can help us identify other misleading sources.