Identify Fake News, Especially During a Pandemic

By University of Nicosia Library & Information Centre

 The following are tips and resources for staying informed at a time when fake news and misinformation spreads widely.

Dear UNIC Family,

Today’s information environment empowers everyone to be informed, educated, entertained, do research, share information, communicate and much more from wherever he/she is. Information from all over the world is instantaneously available to everyone.

During the pandemic, more and more publishers and institutions offer relevant, free of charge, online content, which assists research on the new virus and support online education.  Simultaneously, the new situation provides opportunities for unreliable information creators and malicious actions. People, isolated in their homes, are overloaded with mass media news and social media feeds, thereby, making it difficult to separate reliable information from fake news.

UNIC Library is here to help you find and use trusted sources for your personal and academic needs. Below you will find some tips to identify fake news and examples of trusted sources of information.

Tips

  1. Go to a trusted source (see below) a few times a day – avoid scrolling on your phone every time you get bored – pick up a book instead!
  2. Try not to overload your social media followers, colleagues or yourself with too much news
  3. Learn how to identify fake news – there are some great guides to help you, e.g.:

 

Tools & sources that help you to identify fake news

Snopes – a fact-checking resource that investigates urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore. You can also check The Coronavirus Collection: Fact-Checking COVID-19 for COVID-19 related rumors and misinformation.

PolitiFact – a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others.

Google Reverse Image Search, RevEye (Google Chrome), InVid and TinEye are tools that help you find the original context of images or videos you see on social media or elsewhere.

Quote Investigator – a website that fact-checks the reported origins of widely circulated quotes.

Coronavirus Rumor Control – a webpage from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to help the public distinguish between rumors and facts regarding the response to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Trusted Sources

There are many trusted sources to use for your information and research on COVID-19. You can see some examples below:

You can find more sources on the Library’s news section for COVID-19

 

Need further help? Contact your UNIC librarian

If you are in doubt about a source you need to use or share, feel free to contact a specialist in information sources…your UNIC librarian.

Sources
Fighting fake news in the pandemic by Sarah Ostman

Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries LibGuide by Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)