Think like a fact checker: skills that most people don’t use

Have you ever scrolled through news articles and wondered if it was actually legal, or have you ever thought it was cleverly disguised nonsense? You are not alone. It can be overwhelming to come up with a lot of information (and misinformation) online and come up with something to trust. However, the professional fact checkers have tidy sleeves. After all, it’s not about knowing more, it’s a different way of reading.

What skills do you separate professional fact checkers from everyone else? This investigated and discovered this Its professional fact checkers use to detect incorrect and biased information Horizontal reading– Verify your claims multiple times by consulting with multiple reputable sources. In contrast, this study found that people who are not professional fact-checking (university students and historians) rely on vertical readings to assess websites based solely on appearance and content. Looking at only the information in the article itself, they are more susceptible to false information. This research is part of the growth Research organization It shows how Teaching horizontal readings will greatly improve your ability to assess online reliability.

How to lateral reading:

1. Stop and identify the source: Pause and ask yourself: Who created this information and why should you trust them? (For example, health claims from blog posts selling reputable medical journals and supplements without scientific citations).
2. Open multiple tabs: Search for information about your author, publication, or organization. Make sure you have a history of spreading false or biased information and are perceived as a reliable expert.
3. Cross Check Claim: Find coverage of the same topic from other reputable sources (such as Reuters and the Associated Press). You can use this tool as a guide Identify biased news outlets. Compare reports and see if there is a consensus.
4. Use the fact check site: Websites such as politifact and factcheck.org can help verify or expose a claim. Cross-check exposure across various fact-check sites could further improve accuracy.
5. Apply SIFT Method (Stop, Investigate, Search, Trace):
   • sPlease reflect on the top before sharing or believing the information.
   • IInvest your sources using lateral reading.
   • fBetter coverage from trustworthy sources.
   • tTo avoid distorted claims, we will return the information to its original context.

• sPlease reflect on the top before sharing or believing the information.
• IInvest your sources using lateral reading.
• fBetter coverage from trustworthy sources.
• tTo avoid distorted claims, we will return the information to its original context.

Value Check: Adds a context to the source evaluation

In addition to horizontal reading, Value check It’s another strategy This helps to assess the reliability of the source by identifying potential biases and underlying values. For example, news sites funded by political groups may be framed Climate change Unlike peer-reviewed science journals. Knowing this will allow you to compare and consider the reliability of your sources. It is similar to lateral reading, but focuses on examining factors such as:

• Ideological stance: Are sources with known political, corporate, or social agendas?
• Funding and Affiliation: Who will fund the organization and this could affect their reporting?
• Transparency: Does the source clearly disclose its methodology, revision policy, and source?
• Accountability: Does the source correct the error and respond to criticism?

Value checks complement horizontal readings by ensuring that the source used for validation is trusted and transparent. Together, these techniques can help users navigate the situation of online information more dramatically Confidence and accuracy. Finally, it is important to do so Mindful In our own ideological bias, we maintain a diverse set of social identities to reduce vulnerability to misinformation. Enhanced media literacy, combined with our perception of social bias, provides a powerful safeguard against believing in misinformation.

By reading sideways and learning to assess the value behind the source, you are not just professional fact-checkers. That’s what you can do to better navigate today’s information environment. These habits are not above Skinny;They are curious and stay cautious. Several intentional strategies make us more confident in what we trust, more aware of bias, and less likely to be misunderstood. In a world where false claims often outweigh the truth, those skills are informing, affecting and interacting, not just for us, but for everyone.

This post also appears in Misguided: The Newsletter.