Fake news stories are gaining prominence on the open web and in social media. The information literacy and critical thinking skills you are learning in your classes will help you spot fake news and disregard it, but everyone can use some help along the way. In addition to asking a librarian for help, you can use this browser extension and app to alert you to questionable websites and Facebook posts. Here are a few:
- PolitiFact App (iOS, Android)
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning website PolitiFact, this app allows you to verify political claims you see anywhere. - Fake News Alert (Chrome Extension)
According to the developer of this extension, “if you visit a URL known for producing non-news in news-like packages, you get a pop-up alert warning you.” The list of non-news websites used in the extension is developed from a list of problematic websites compiled by a media studies and communications professor, Melissa Zimdars.
