Media Literacy

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information—getting the facts wrong.

Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead—intentionally getting the facts wrong.

One of the best protections against misinformation is to build this habit-

whenever you encounter new information, from social media, internet sources, IA, podcasts, news sources, or TV,  before you trust or believe that information consider these two questions;

who is responsible for this information?

and 

why should I believe them? 

Here are some suggestions on how you can find answers to those questions.

1. Search for information about the source (whether an individual or an organization). Use a search engine and find out what other reasonable trustworthy sources say.
2. Do a reverse image search for pictures.
3. Check a news aggregator, Straight Arrow News, or Allsides for reputable coverage of events.
4. Check claims at a reputable Fact-Checking Site.