LibGuides: Evaluating Websites and Blogs (Law Library): Fake News

Indicators of Fake News

A lot of adds and pop ups and outrageous headlines may indicate a clickbaiting site that is not real news.
Headlines, facts and quotes do not pass a fact check. Check facts using multiple sources.
Google Reverse Image Search - searching images on Google reverse image search reveals that the images are taken out of context, or are not what the news articles claims them to be. Google reverse image search may help you locate the source of a meme. Also try Tin Eye reverse image search. Take a screenshot from a video and the image searches will locate the website where the video appears. Berify is another good one for reverse searches for images and videos. FotoForensics can identify whether a photo is real or computer-generated.
Deceptive urls or site names. eg. whitehouse.com is not whitehouse.gov. The Denver Guardian is NOT an actual newspaper in Denver. Look at the About Us section and check the facts in that section. Use the Whois domain name checker to see who owns a site.
The site does not pass muster using the criteria set out in this guide to evaluate websites. Also see CRAAP method, Framework for Information Literacy.

SurfSafe
Hover over a photo (say, on Facebook or a website) and it checks whether the photo appears in trusted news sites, Snopes, etc.
Britannica Insights
A Chrome extension that adds information from Encyclopedia Britannica to your search.

News Article Rating Apps/Websites

Oigetit (Oh I Get It)
Oigetit compares the facts within an article against Oigetit’s large fact database that is derived from historical articles, and then statistically calculates the levels of bias (or truthfulness). Additionally, Oigetit uses root source analysis that allows it to quickly determine and validate the authenticity of the article and its source.
The Factual
A website that selects the most credible articles on a topic. You can filter by political bias, underreported articles and credibility grade.
The Factual - Chrome Extension
Instantly checks the credibility of news articles and blocks political ads on Facebook.
Credder
Credibility ratings for news articles, authors and news outlets. Has separate credibility ratings by journalists and by the public.

Verification Handbook
The Verification Handbook provides the tools, techniques and step-by-step guidelines for how to deal with user-generated content (UGC) during emergencies.

Some "news" sites are created by individual who want to make money via add clicks. They post "news articles" with sensational clickbait headlines. If a site has tons of ads, it may be fake news. See Abby Ohlheiser, This Is How Facebook’s Fake-News Writers Make Money, Washington Post, Nov. 18, 2016,, Scott Pelley, How Fake News becomes a Popular, Trending Topic, CBS News, Mar. 26, 2017.