Fake News: Welcome

The ability to tell accurate news from fake news is an important skill you will use your entire life. This guide will help you distinguish fact from fiction in an online environment.

"What is fake news exactly? Fake news is just as it sounds: news that is misleading and not based on fact or, simply put, fake...fake news has the intention of disseminating false information, not for comedy, but for consumption."

-Alvarez, Barbara. "Public Libraries in the Age of Fake News." Public Libraries, Nov 2016: 24-7. Accessed 23 May 2017.

Why should you care if your news is real or fake?

• You deserve the truth. You are smart enough to make up your own mind as long as you have the real facts.
• Fake news destroys your credibility. If your arguments are built on bad information or if you share incorrect information, it will be much more difficult for people to believe you in the future.
• Fake news can hurt you and other people. Incorrect information, especially when related to health or money, can hurt you or other people.
• Real news can benefit you. Fake news will not help you make money or make the world a better place, but real news can.

Adapted from: http://libguides.sjsu.edu/fake-news/resources