Spotting fake news

Knowing where to find trustworthy news is crucial for all of us. It matters because we can get tricked into believing false content, or never hearing an opposing viewpoint. Here, we help you separate fact from fiction.

What is fake news?

Fake news refers to false stories that are made to look like trustworthy news reports. These stories spread across the internet, usually via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

People and organisations create fake news to influence peoples' political views, or as a joke.

The impacts of fake news can be harmful, such as when it spreads false information about COVID-19 or elections. That’s why it’s important to think critically and ask yourself a few questions before believing what you read online.

There are 2 types of fake news:

  • Misinformation –this is incorrect information that is presented as fact, either intentionally or unintentionally.
  • Disinformation – this information is deliberately incorrect and often has made up data and false scientific facts.

Tips to spot fake news

  1. Check the source: Look closely at the article, the author and the site. Is the author a legitimate journalist from a trustworthy news outlet? And is the website a reliable source of fact-based content?
  2. Check for bias: Social media content is generated based on your interests and activity. Make sure your biases are not clouding your opinion or judgement. Also. consider the poster’s biases. If a story was shared onto your timeline by a specific account, without you asking for it, try to figure out why they would send it to you. What do they want you to do or believe, and does that seem reasonable? Learn 4 ways to take control of algorithms.
  3. Look for signs of low-quality writing: Check if the article has a big bold heading in capital letters with lots of exclamation marks. This tactic is used to sensationalise a story, to grab your attention. The intention is to try and get you like, comment or even share it. Bad grammar and spelling mistakes are also often a sign of fake news.
  4. Check the website: Read the‘About us’ section to find out the owner, and who they work with. Also, check the website address to see if it has an unusual-looking name or is trying to imitate a real news site.
  5. Check other sources to compare: Before you click or share, ask yourself – is the same news being promoted by reliable news companies? If not, it might not be real, and you may need to check further.

Fact check images: If the news story has an image in it, this may also be fake. Use your digital detective skills to check an image’s source. Visit Commonsense Media's video how to do a reverse-image search and try tools such as Google Lens.

Related information

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