Ways to check the validity of information online

A huge number of publications on a wide variety of topics are published online daily. Fake news and misinformation can make it difficult to distinguish real facts from false information. Here are some ways to independently check the reliability of information.

Original source

Find the original source of the news. Assess its credibility and competence of the author.

Errors in the text

Check individual fragments of the article. Errors in names, dates or geographical names may indicate unreliability of the material.

Author’s style

Pay attention to the manner of narration. Signs of a fake: a topical subject, emotional headlines, calls to make rash decisions and actively disseminate messages.

Author’s position

Separate the facts from the author’s opinion. If his position is the only argument in the text, the material should be checked.

Accent parts of the text

Determine the general tone of the source. Even if the article does not contain false information, it may have some certain accents to affect the reader’s opinion and distract it from the overall picture.

Publications on websites

Try to find the news in a search engine. If the text or photo is duplicated on sites that are not trustworthy — this is another sign of a fake.

Distribution channel

Check the account spreading the message. If the profile was created recently and its owner has already tried to provoke the audience or call them to action, it may be a bot. It is designed to spread fakes.

Photo and video evidence

Do not rush to believe the news supplied with photos, video or audio. They may turn out to be deepfakes — materials generated by artificial intelligence.