Ground News: Media Literacy Tool

Ground News can be used to help readers think critically about the news they're consuming. The ability to practice news reading with discernment can help readers strengthen their news literacy skills and avoid fake news.

See below resources from the Fake News libguide for ways Ground News can be used as a tool to identify and avoid fake news.

1. When you open up a news article in your browser, open a second, empty tab.  Use that second window to look up claims, author credentials and organizations that you come across in the article.
2. Fake news spans across all kinds of media - printed and online articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, radio shows, even still images. Be prepared to double-check everything.
3. Beware of confirmation bias.  Just because you might agree with what an article is saying doesn't mean it's true.
4. As Mad-Eye Moody said in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, "Constant Vigilance!"  Always be ready to fact check.
5. Even the best researchers will be fooled once in a while.  If you find yourself fooled by a fake news story, use your experience as a learning tool.

[Adapted from Fake News libguide]