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Fake News vs. Real News: Social Media

This guide will provide resources and lessons on how to identify fake news and how to look for credible news sites.

How to Spot a Fake Twitter Post

Check the account history of the source. Two red flags are 1) the number of posts and 2) how long the account has been active. If it claims to be a well known source (like CNN or CBS) and only has a few posts in its history that is a clue. If it is a well known source and the account has only been active a short time that is another red flag.

 

Images of an event are often reused to deceive people.  You can check if an image has been used before on a reverse image search service like TinEye.

 

Which of the following accounts is fake and how can you tell?

Eli Pariser: Beware of Online Filter Bubbles

Fake Videos

Nearly all of us have been taken in by a video that was later found to have been doctored or faked. It is fairly easy to edit a video so that it looks like you made the basket or the hawk picked up the snake. Here are some of the most famous faked videos that fooled millions:

These Viral Videos Were Fake?!

Some tips to help you tell if a video is fake:

The Physics of Fake Videos

Citizen Evidence Lab