When you come across information that is not from a trusted source, you must evaluate the information for accuracy because it is very easy to fabricate information and post it online. It's also very easy to make this fake information look professional and credible. You may have been introduced to the CRAAP test (CRAAP stands for currency, relevance, accuracy, authority, and purpose). This is a good place to start because it provides you with some clues to look for; however, you must go beyond CRAAP. When you find a clue such as "authority," engage in lateral reading (described below) and learn more about this author to see if the author really does have the credentials to write on this topic. The information below will help you go beyond CRAAP to determine whether something is fake or factual. Even when you come across legitimate, factual news, it may be flawed because it comes from a biased source. You can visit the "Checking Bias" section of this guide to help you determine if your trusted source is biased.
When you come across a news article that describes a report, the news article is a secondary source because it is not the original data or source. Instead, it interprets the original (primary) data or source. It is critical to go back to the original (primary) source of information because this secondary source's interpretation could be flawed. The interpretation may be incorrect, or the language used may not clearly or accurately relay the information. This is true even with credible sources that are written in good faith because the journalist writing the health news may not always have a good grasp of the concepts being relayed; these journalists may not have a health background. If you're reading your news online, look for hyperlinks to the primary source. If the online source doesn't provide hyperlinks or if you're reading the news in print, there should be at least partial citation information; credible news outlets will provide you with one or both of these methods to at least get to the abstract of the primary source. If these elements are missing, that could be a sign that this information is fake. You should search for any clues to help you get to the original, primary source.
Many of you have been taught to use the CRAAP test to evaluate sources. As a reminder, CRAAP stands for currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, purpose. While this is a place to start, you must take the elements you are looking for in CRAAP, and you must go outside the website to verify this information. For example, if the article has an author (authority), search for the author to find out if this author really has the knowledge and skills to write on this topic. When you do this, you are engaging in lateral reading. The videos below explain lateral reading in more detail.
It is important to develop your own fact checking skills, however there are also websites where people fact check claims. Keep in mind these websites check claims after the claims have already been out there circulating, so you may see the claims before anyone can fact check them. Also, fact checkers are human so there is no way they can check every false claim that's online.