From “Information Literacy in a Polarized Era” by Kelsey Maki in NJEA Review, April 2023 (Vol. 96, #9, pp. 22-25)

Information literacy tools 

While there is no single, “perfect” fact-checking tool currently available, these sites are good starting points. (Beware of “fact-checkers” with a clear bias.) 

• Media Bias/Fact Check allows you to search media sources to determine their bias and level of factual reporting. The information is researched by a nonpartisan staff. (mediabiasfactcheck.com) 
• FactCheck.org, run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, dispels the myths and falsehoods surrounding current events. It’s a comprehensive and lauded site. (factcheck.org) 
• Politifact.com, which is run by the Poynter Institute for Journalism, analyzes the veracity of statements made by politicians, with an occasional Facebook post thrown in for good measure. It won a Pulitzer Prize and is considered nonpartisan. (politifact.com) 
• Snopes is the go-to site for debunking internet rumors and should be your first stop for pop-culture shares that sound outlandish. (snopes.com) 
• NewsGuard is an online tool that can be added as an extension to your internet browser to determine the purpose and legitimacy of a news source.
  (newsguardtech.com) 
• Real or Satire is a site where you can check whether a source is serious or engaging in parody, as the purpose can sometimes be obscured or difficult to determine. (realorsatire.com)
• Hoaxy, coordinated by Indiana University, gives you a real-time picture of online engagement with information trending on social media. It shows a graphic of real users vs. bots. (hoaxy.osome.iu.edu) 
• Consumer Reports is a magazine and online resource that independently evaluates products and does not accept money from advertisers. It is a nonprofit organization. (consumerreports.org) 
• Kaiser Family Foundation is a credible nonprofit organization focused on researching health issues and social safety nets. (kff.org) 
• Quackwatch is run by Dr. Stephen Barrett, and it represents an “international network of people who are concerned about health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct.” (quackwatch.org) 
• Campus Election and Engagement Project prepares nonpartisan guides that tell you where political candidates stand on various issues. (bit.ly/civic-ceep)