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Fact Checking Sites: From ALA

• FactCheck.org

  FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.

• PolitiFact

  A fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, as is PunditFact, a site devoted to fact-checking pundits.

• PunditFact

  A project of the Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute, dedicated to checking the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media.

• Snopes.com

  The snopes.com website was founded by David Mikkelson, who lives and works in the Los Angeles area. What he began in 1995 as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends has since grown into what is widely regarded by folklorists, journalists, and laypersons alike as one of the World Wide Web's essential resources.

Summary of tips

1. Consider the source. Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info.
2. Read past the headline. Headlines can be outrageous in effort to get clicks. Go beyond headlines.
3. Assess the credibility of the author. Do a quick Google search on the author. What is their expertise? What organization do they represent?
4. Look at the links and sources supporting the article. Click those links. Determine if the subsequent information supports the story. Consider the reliability of the sources.
5. Check the date.
6. Consider that the item might be satire. If it seems too outlandish, it might be satire. Do some quick research on the site and author to find out.
7. Consider that it might be promotional. Is the purpose of the site to sell a product?
8. Check your biases.
9. Search other news outlets to see if the news is widely reported.