Fact Checking Is Important
President Harry Truman holds up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune that reads "Dewey Defeats Truman." Truman had in fact beaten Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential race, but the result of the election was incorrectly reported by the Chicago Daily Tribune.
Photo credit: Dave Winer on Flickr.
Known Fake News Outlets
Many fake news websites are designed to mimic the name, look and branding of legitimate news sources. Make sure you double check the URL of a website before determining that it is reliable.
- ABCNews.com.co
- Bloomberg.ma
- CNN-trending.com
- DrudgeReport.com.co
- MSNBC.com.co
- MSNBC.website
- usatoday.com.co
- WashingtonPost.com.co
- Celebricity
- Cream BMP
- Empire News
- Empire Sports
- The Enduring Vision
- Firebrand Left
- Global Associated News
- Huzlers
- Indecision Forever
- The Last Line of Defense
- LinkBeef
- KMT 11 News
- National Report
- Newslo
- News Mutiny
- React 365
- Rile News
- Stuppid
- The Boston Tribune
- The News Nerd
- Conservative Frontline
- Denver Guardian
- International Report
- Naha Daily (defunct)
- News Hound
- United Media Publishing
- InfoWars.com
- Natural News
- Prntly
- Red Flag News
- 70 News
- Activist Post
- American News
- Before It's News
- Civic Tribune
- Daily Buzz Live
- DC Gazette
- Disclose TV
- Empire Herald
- Gummy Post
- Liberty Writers News
- Media Mass
- News Examiner
- News Breaks Here
- News Buzz Daily
- NewsWatch33
- Now 8 News
- Real News Right Now
- The Reporterz
- World Truth TV
Check Your Facts
If you need help using any of these resources, please ask a librarian!
Many news outlets, magazines and blogs pull information from academic articles—how many times have you seen the headline "New study finds [something amazing]"? Often, however, this information is simplified or misrepresented (intentionally or not). The best way to get the full story and important context is to read the original academic article.
Always double-check data and statistical information before sharing; after all, 97% of statistics are made up on the spot!
Submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request can help you access documents and statistics relating to local, state and federal governments.
Navigating government documents can be intimidating, but Northeastern has access to a variety of tools to make it easier.
Fact Checking Projects
Snopes.com debunks fake news, "alternative facts," altered images and media, and urban legends. In addition to determining whether a piece of information is true or false, Snopes staff demonstrate how they researched the claim and assessed its legitimacy.
Climate Change National Forum Fact Checker
Through CCNF, scientists partner with journalists to fact check news stories on climate change and natural science.
This nonpartisan project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center investigates news stories.
This Pulitzer Prize-winning project rates the truthfulness of claims made by politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Authored by leading journalists from the BBC, Storyful, ABC, Digital First Media and other verification experts, the Verification Handbook is a groundbreaking new resource for journalists and aid providers. It provides the tools, techniques and step-by-step guidelines for how to deal with user-generated content (UGC) during emergencies. See also: Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting and additional materials.
This project advocates "the truth behind the rhetoric," and focuses on fact checking information relating to Donald Trump, Congress, 2020 election candidates and specific political issues.