A Guide To Differentiating Real and Fake News

Fake news exists all over the internet, on websites and on social media. You probably scroll past fake news multiple times a day. Knowing how to differentiate the real from the fake is key if you want to be clued in on world issues and be able to develop your own educated perspective.

Let’s take a look at how to start differentiating the real from the fake today:

Check The Domain And URL

The domain and URL can give a big clue as to whether this is real news or not. A site with .com.co should make you raise your eyebrows. Even when sites look professional and have decent looking logos, it doesn’t mean they are real. Some will be created to look like legitimate news sites in order to spread a false narrative, so beware.

Reverse Image Search

Reverse search for the image being used on Google. You can do this by right-clicking on the image and choosing to search Google for it.If you find the image being used for various stories, it could be that the initial story is fake.

Look At Quotes (Or Lack Of)

A fake news story will lack quotes. The quotes used may even be fake – for example if Obama is being accused of saying something outlandish, there are transcripts elsewhere to show you whether he said it or not.

Differentiating real and fake news can be difficult, but using your common sense and doing more research will always prevail. Below, the infographic on propaganda will further educate you and help you to stay on your guard.