Finally, take it offline. Rather than blindly retweeting or Facebooking something, practice the discipline of verification and get in touch with the source. DM them on Twitter, send them a message on Facebook.
And no column about evaluating web content would be complete without pointing to Snopes.com and the Museum of Hoaxes as a place to check for hoaxes and rumors.
Correction of the Week
“In a feature looking at the subject of postnatal depression among fathers, we should have quoted Andy Maxwell as saying “a stay-at-home dad is still unusual – parenthood as a full-time role is still considered women’s work”. Instead, our shorthand version of the last part of his remark had him seeming to say “full-time parenting is women’s work” (‘There’s no support for fathers’, 9 September, page 10, G2).” – The Guardian
The United Egg Producers is not a credible source of information. It has a history of animal cruelty and consumer deception. More at
www.humanesociety.org/uep
#1 Posted by Paul, CJR on Fri 17 Sep 2010 at 10:51 AM
My gut tells me this is a useful article.
#2 Posted by Jill Elswick, CJR on Fri 17 Sep 2010 at 01:11 PM
Here's another cut at the issue that you can use to evaluate the reliability of any story. Evaluate all sources in the article on three criteria:
1. Expertise -- Has the source either long experience with the subject or academic expertise such as an advanced degree in the field?
2. Proximity -- Was the source an eyewitness with a clear view, or is the information conveyed second hand?
3. Freedom from conflict of interest -- Does the source have an axe to grind -- something to gain by giving a partisan view?
Rate all the sources on these three criteria -- the higher they score in the aggregage, the more reliable the report is likely to be.
#3 Posted by John McManus, CJR on Sat 18 Sep 2010 at 12:08 AM
Nothing beats a Who, What, When, Where and Why. Sound familiar?
#4 Posted by jon , CJR on Mon 11 Oct 2010 at 06:19 PM
Interesting, useful piece. Could someone tell me, though, what the reference to fooledya.com means?
#5 Posted by Jamie, CJR on Tue 29 Mar 2011 at 06:59 PM