CHECKING YOUR NEWS SOURCES

A free press, worthy of public trust is essential to the health of our democracy. Voters cannot make informed choices or hold government accountable without access to credible media.

It is each voter’s job to consume a healthy media diet, separate fact from fiction, and share content responsibly. The health of our democracy depends on this individual action.

Here are some curated resources to help you choose your news wisely – from tools that help you discern fact from fiction, uncover bias, and practices to ensure a balanced media diet.

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EVALUATE YOUR SOURCES

This browser extension shows you trust ratings for 4,000+ news and information sites–written by trained journalists based on nine journalistic criteria. They tell you who is behind each site, how it is funded, and whether you can trust it.

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ANALYZE POLITICAL SPEECH

This nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.

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DOES IT PASS THE CRAAP TEST? This helpful mnemonic helps you choose the sites and authors you can read and rely on for information.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Check these additional resources for more ways to choose your new wisely. 

NewLens: This news aggregator invites Americans to earn rewards for news reading, rating, reviewing, and sharing news stories from a range of top outlets.

TedEd Talks: This video breaks down why disinformation has become a problem and how individuals can choose their news best. 

AllSides.com: This media site provides an at-a-glance view of what all coverage is like on a given issue and has a unique “balanced search” function.

Politifact: This fact-checking website checks whether claims made by any news outlets or candidates are truthful. 

FACTITIOUS: Test your ability to tell real and fake news apart with this online game. Fair warning: it’s harder than it looks.

TOOLS FOR EDUCATORS

Teachers and other educators can use the following lesson plans to teach their students how to identify, contextualize, and react to misinformation.