LibGuides: Fact-Checking with SIFT: KeyTakeaways

Key Takeaways

In the information economy, two of the most valuable “commodities” we as individuals have to invest are our attention and our trust.

We all need the information literacy knowledge, skills, dispositions, and habits necessary to thrive in a world of networked information.

We want to be able to find trusted sources for decision-making:

How do I weigh the risks and benefits of a vaccine?
What are the costs and benefits of this policy on greenhouse gas emissions?
Is this policy change likely to do what its proponents say it will do and whose hypothesis is more likely to be correct based on their experience and/or expertise?
Which candidate running in the next election is most likely to represent the positions that I value?

Methods	Techniques
S -Stop! I - Investigate F - Find Better Coverage T - Trace Claims, Quote, and Media to Original	Uses professional fact-checker strategies and techniques to evaluate and contextualize info sources.
Understand expertise and agenda	Bring your experience Ask if it is a recognized, trusted source Question the creation and purpose Measure your emotional response Answer your research question
Read laterally	Open a new tab for searching Add a Wikipedia background check Check for other news coverage Scan fact-checking sites
Find better coverage	Check other reliable sites, Google Scholar, library databases Follow links to other sources Use keyword or reverse image searching
Trace to find context	Go upstream to the original source Follow footnotes
Build a personal library of trusted sources	Develop your fact-checking skills Seek a variety of news sources Be aware of your biases

Image Source:Assoicated Press. Baltimore Ravens safety Dawan Landry laterals the ball after intercepting a Cleveland Browns pass in 2009. Digital Image. Wall Street Journal. Accessed Novemeber, 6, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lateral-the-nfls-most-underused-play-1418348566