Five Fact-Checking Sites for You: They’ll Help Separate Truth from Fiction
I’m not the least interested in politics. I learned a long time ago, that if you’re looking for the truth, don’t look to politicians. But I am always on a quest for the truth. I don’t take things at face value very often. I’m a skeptic… and maybe a little cynical in my advancing years.
And I am aware that some think any news is fake unless it comes from a favorite source they trust – which, logically, of course, does not necessarily make it true. I may not agree with listening to sites and news sources that preach to the choir, but I can certainly understand the comfort people derive from having one’s own beliefs validated. Who doesn’t like to be right?
But if you’re looking for the truth, these five site picks may help you figure out whether the latest news on social media or your favorite news source is mostly fact or fiction. Nowadays, with AI becoming ubiquitous and readily available to manipulate videos and photos by making deep fakes – and even writing entire baseless articles that sound 100% true, truth is only going to get harder to find.
Let’s look at an apolitical example — The Flat Earthers
Who believes the Earth is flat? Well, not me and maybe not you but one-third of millennials believe the Earth is flat. Do you believe that? You can read about that here. According to Google, there are 72.24 million millennials. One-third of 72.24 million is approximately 24 million people. That’s a lot of people who do not agree the Earth is a sphere. Nope. They believe it’s flat. And that number doesn’t include all flat-earthers, only the millennial flat-earthers.
I don’t know what to say. Nowadays, I’ve heard that we let kids graduate from high school (and maybe even college) who can barely read. Not me. I love to read plus I’m a skeptic cynic who doesn’t get news from just headlines – or Facebook posts or “X” tweets. I want to know facts and where those facts come from. And maybe you do too.
FIVE FACT-CHECKING SITES THAT CAN HELP YOU FIND THE TRUTH
Today, we are featuring five fact-checking sites you can use to help you find out if something you’ve seen or read is true or not. Is it fake news or not? Is it junk science or not?
FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit website that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics by providing original research on misinformation and hoaxes. It is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation.
FactCheck.org’s website features two main types of content:
Fact-checks: In-depth reports that assess the accuracy of claims made by politicians, political groups, and other public figures.
Articles: News and analysis articles about misinformation, disinformation, and fact-checking.
FactCheck.org’s fact-checks are widely respected by journalists and political scientists. The organization has won numerous awards for its work, including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2008.
Ask SciCheck is a section of the FactCheck.org website where readers can submit questions about science and health topics. FactCheck.org’s team of scientists and journalists then research the questions and provide answers that are based on the best available scientific evidence.
The Ask SciCheck section is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about complex scientific topics or who wants to verify the accuracy of information that they have seen online or in the media.
Snopes. com is a fact-checking website that investigates and debunks urban legends, rumors, and other forms of misinformation. It was founded in 1994 by David Mikkelson and Barbara Hamel and is one of the oldest and most respected fact-checking websites on the internet.
Snopes.org’s fact-checks are conducted by a team of researchers who use a variety of sources, including news articles, academic journals, and government websites, to verify the accuracy of claims. The website also has a community of readers who submit tips and feedback, which helps Snopes.org to stay up-to-date on the latest misinformation.
Snopes.org’s fact-checks are classified using a variety of icons, including True, Mostly True, Mixture, Mostly False, False, Unproven, Outdated, Miscaptioned, Correct Attribution, Misattributed, Scan, and Legend. This system helps readers understand the level of confidence that Snopes.org has in its assessment of each claim.
Snopes.org is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to stay informed about the latest misinformation and disinformation. The website is widely respected by journalists, academics, and the general public alike.
Here are some examples of recent fact-checks that have been published on Snopes.org:
- Did a woman give birth to 10 babies in one sitting? (False)
- Did a man find a live alligator in his toilet? (Unproven)
- Is there a video of a UFO crashing into a mountain? (Miscaptioned)
- Is there a new COVID-19 variant that is specifically targeting children? (False)
The AP Fact Check website is a section of the Associated Press website that fact-checks claims made by politicians, political groups, and other public figures. The AP Fact Check team is composed of experienced journalists and researchers who use a variety of sources to verify the accuracy of claims.
The AP Fact Check website includes two main types of content:
Fact-checks: In-depth reports that assess the accuracy of specific claims.
Articles: News and analysis articles about misinformation, disinformation, and fact-checking.
The AP Fact Check website is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to stay informed about the latest misinformation and disinformation. The AP Fact Check team is widely respected for its work, and the website has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2008.
Metabunk.org is a website that aims to debunk pseudoscience, UFOs, and the paranormal. It was founded in 2011 by Mick West, a video game programmer and science communicator.
Metabunk’s approach to debunking is to use critical thinking and scientific evidence to evaluate claims. The website features a forum where users can submit claims to be debunked, as well as articles and blog posts about debunking.
Metabunk has been praised for its rigorous and evidence-based approach to debunking. The website has also been criticized by some for being too skeptical and for downplaying the possibility of genuine paranormal phenomena.
Here are some examples of recent topics that have been debunked on Metabunk:
Chemtrails
Flat Earth
UFO sightings
Bigfoot
Ghosts
Metabunk is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about pseudoscience, UFOs, and the paranormal. The website is also a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn how to debunk claims.
Please note — We are not endorsing any of the views expressed on Metabunk. We are simply providing a summary of the website’s content and listing it as a possible source for verifying scientific and paranormal news and claims.
Be a Skeptic and Verify
When is it not a good thing to verify? It is always a good thing to make sure what you hear, read, and see and what you believe is founded in fact and not in fiction. Yes, for sure. The truth can make us uncomfortable when it doesn’t align with our beliefs.
But I’m always on a quest to find the truth even if I don’t like what I find. Maybe you are too. And if you are, I hope one or more of these fact-checking sites helps you in your quest to find the truth.
Many thanks for this article. In today’s political climate, it has become impossible to believe anything posted on social media. There are also several newsletters that I rely on to help me navigate some of the current issues.
I also like Media Bias / Fact Check. I find them to be very thorough in defining how true posts are, whether there is bias for the left or right and their attempt to remain neutral.
TY, I have bookmarked that one too
Great information Thanks
Thank you so much for this article. I never rely on Facebook for anything when it comes to news. I was aware of snopes because I have used them a lot but now you have given me with more sources.
I agree with you, have used Snopes for years and never rely on what I see on FB. Now we have more sources.