How To Check News Sources

If you see a headline on Facebook (because who reads the whole story any more, right?) and want to know if the story is true, there is a great website to reference.

This website isn't like Snopes, so this website won't necessarily debunk a story, but it will tell you if the website is known to be biased.

The website is Media Bias Fact Check, and when  you input the source of your story, it will show the bias level of that source on a scale that goes from Far Left  Biased to  Least Biased to Far Right Biased.

Here's the "rating" for a website called Daily Caller:

As you can see, the Daily Caller leans far right, which means that the story may be presented in a way that favors conservative views.

In contrast, the Mother Jones website tends to  lean left, which means that the story may be presented in a way that favors liberal views:

Why are these things important? Well, to understand how fake, false and/or misleading information gets spread so easily, one must understand psychology and how reading things we agree with gives us the envie to click the "Share" button. We get uncomfortable sharing information that goes against our core beliefs, whether it's true or not. We also get a great feeling of sharing information that is in line with our core beliefs, whether it's true or not.

Once we understand that fact that we are our own worst enemy when it comes to spreading fake news, we'll all start to get along much better. If a story gets your goat or makes you gloat, check the facts because they have probably been embellished.

(Media Bias Fact Check)