The Best Guide to Spotting Misinformation Online

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These 6 Tips Will Help You Spot Misinformation Online

By Alex Mehadavan, writing for Poynter…

I’ll never forget the moment the mob breached the walls of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

As a senior multimedia reporter with MediaWise, I was tracking misinformation about the insurrection as it unfolded. The year began with an existential threat to our democracy. And we wrap 2021 with a new COVID-19 variant.

Now, more than ever, we need digital media literacy education in the U.S. — to help teens understand the importance of sorting fact from fiction online; teach older Americans how to spot the fake images, memes and doctored videos that fueled the Jan. 6 insurrection and prolonged the coronavirus pandemic; and support Spanish-speakers, who are disproportionately targeted with misinformation.

MediaWise has done all that in 2021, in addition to expanding our Campus Correspondents program, which centers on college students teaching other college students how to spot misinformation online. And we end the year with plans to take our digital media literacy training global with courses available through WhatsApp in Brazil, Spain and Turkey.

But, right now you might be thinking: “Hey, this sounds great, but here I am on Poynter.org, arguably the greatest journalism website in history — why can’t you just tell me right now how to avoid misinformation?”

You’re in luck. Here are six tools and techniques you, your friends (or enemies) and family can use to make a dent in the false information flowing on the internet today.

For the rest, click here.