The phenomenal growth in artificial intelligence tools has made it easy to quickly craft a story, making it harder for a reader to determine whether a news source or article is truthful or reliable. Earlier this year, for example, people shared an article about the alleged suicide of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s psychiatrist as if it were real. It turned out to be an AI-generated rewrite of a 2010 satirical piece.
The problem is widespread. According to a 2021 Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll, “95 percent of Americans believe the spread of disinformation is a problem.” The Pearson Institute studies ways to reduce global conflict.
As library scientists, we combat the proliferation of misinformation by teaching a number of ways to validate the accuracy of an article. These methods include the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace), the PROVEN Source Evaluation method (Purpose, Relevance, Objectivity, Verifiability, Expertise, and Newness), and lateral reading.
Lateral reading is a strategy for researching a source by opening a new browser tab to perform a search and consult other sources. Lateral reading involves verifying information by researching the source rather than scrolling through the page.
Here are five techniques based on these methods to help readers distinguish news fact from fiction:
1. Research the author or organization
Look for information outside of the entity’s own website. What are others saying about it? Are there any red flags that make you question its credibility? Search the entity’s name in quotation marks in your browser and look for sources that critically evaluate the organization or group. An organization’s “About” page may tell you who serves on its board, its mission, and its nonprofit status, but this information is typically written to cast the organization in a positive light.
The PROVEN Source Evaluation method includes a section called “Expertise,” which recommends that readers check the author’s credentials and affiliations. Do the authors have an academic degree or expertise in the subject? What else have they written? Who funds the organization and what are their affiliations? Do any of these affiliations reveal a potential conflict of interest? Could their writing be biased in favor of a particular point of view?
If any information is missing or questionable, it is best not to contact this author or organization.
2. Use good search techniques
Familiarize yourself with the search techniques available in your favorite Web browser, such as searching for keywords instead of full sentences and limiting searches to domain names, such as .org, .gov, or .edu.
Another good technique is to put two or more words in quotation marks so that the search engine finds the words next to each other in that order, such as “Pizzagate conspiracy.” This leads to more relevant results.
In a paper published in Nature, a team of researchers wrote that “77% of searches that used the headline or URL of a false/misleading article as their query returned at least one untrustworthy news link in the top ten results.”
A more effective search would be to identify the key concepts in the headline in question and search those individual words as keywords. For example, if the headline is “Video of Alien at Miami Mall Sparks Invasion Claims,” readers might search for: “Alien Invasion” Miami Mall.
3. Check the source
Check the original sources of the information. Is the information accurately cited, paraphrased, or quoted? Can you find the same facts or statements in the original source? Purdue Global, Purdue University’s online college for working adults, recommends verifying quotes and references that may also apply to news stories by checking that the sources are “easy to find, easily accessible, and not outdated.” It also recommends checking the original studies or cited data for accuracy.
The SIFT methodology does this in its recommendation to “reduce claims, quotes, and media to their original context.” You cannot assume that rereporting is always accurate.
4. Use fact-checking websites
Search fact-checking websites such as InfluenceWatch.org, Poynter.org, Politifact.com, or Snopes.com to verify claims. What conclusions did the fact-checkers come to about the accuracy of the claims?
An article in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Misinformation Review found that the “high degree of agreement” among fact-checking sites “increases the credibility of fact-checkers in the eyes of the public.”
5. Pause and think
Pause and think to see if what you read triggered a strong emotional response. A paper in the journal Cognitive Research suggests that news stories that trigger strong emotions increase our tendency to believe “fake news stories.”
An online study found that the simple act of “pausing to think” and reflecting on whether a headline is true or false can prevent someone from sharing false information. While the study found that pausing only reduces the intention to share by a small amount – 0.32 points on a scale of 6 – the authors argue that it could still reduce the spread of fake news on social media.
Knowing how to identify and control misinformation is a key part of being a responsible digital citizen, and this skill is even more important as AI becomes more prevalent.
This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit organization that brings you facts and analysis to help you understand our complex world.
It is written by: Tracy Bicknell-Holmes, Boise State University; Elaine Watson, Boise State Universityand Jose Guillermo ‘Memo’ Córdoba Silva, Boise State University.
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The authors are not employees of, consultants to, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.