This guide was developed in concert with Fighting Fake News: Tips for Aspiring Truth Detectives, a presentation on fake news delivered by Sociology Professor Erin Steuter and Librarian Jeff Lilburn on 3 February 2017.
The presentation covered current examples of fake news, why fake news is on the rise, and how it has political consequences. It also provided an overview of tools individuals can use to identify and debunk fake news. This guide includes many of the resources discussed in the presentation.
A Note about Limitations: of tools, and of this guide
No one guide can be fully comprehensive and this guide does not try to be. Similarly, no tool designed to identify fake news stories is perfect and no fact-checking site can successfully debunk every fake news story. Each of the resources included on this guide has limitations. As with news stories and sources, resources such as lists of fake or unreliable news sites, fake news labeling tools, and fact-checking sites need to be critically assessed. Such resources can be helpful, but they do not replace careful reading and a critical approach to news source evaluation.
