Misinformation spreads faster than truth. A 2018 MIT study analyzing 126,000 news stories found that false information spreads six times faster on social media than accurate information, and reaches significantly more people. The researchers found this was not because bots were amplifying misinformation. It was because humans were more likely to share it. False stories are more novel, more emotionally engaging, and more likely to trigger the sharing impulse than accurate ones.
This means that by the time you encounter a piece of information on social media, it may already have been shared millions of times, and it may be completely wrong.
The good news is that basic fact-checking is a skill anyone can learn. It does not require special training or access to proprietary databases. It requires a set of habits and a knowledge of where to look.
Step 1: Pause Before You Share
The most important step in fact-checking happens before you do any research. It happens when you feel the impulse to share something.
Research on misinformation sharing consistently finds that people share false information not because they are gullible but because they are not thinking carefully about accuracy at the moment of sharing. They are focused on the emotional resonance of the content, its confirmation of their existing beliefs, or its entertainment value.
Before sharing anything, pause and ask: do I actually know this is true? If the answer is no, that is the signal to fact-check before amplifying.
Step 2: Read the Full Story, Not Just the Headline
Headlines are written to generate clicks. They routinely exaggerate, oversimplify, or misrepresent the content of the articles they describe.
A 2016 study by computer scientists at Columbia University and the French National Institute found that 59% of links shared on social media are never actually clicked, meaning the majority of people who share news articles have not read them.
Before evaluating whether a story is accurate, read the actual story. Check whether the headline matches what the story actually says. Look at who wrote it and when. Check where it was published.
Step 3: Check the Source
Once you have read the story, evaluate the outlet that published it.
Search the outlet's name. Look at its About page. Check whether it has a Wikipedia page and what that page says about its ownership and reputation.
Several organizations maintain databases of unreliable news sources. NewsGuard rates news websites on credibility criteria similar to those used by PressGrade. The International Fact-Checking Network maintains a list of verified fact-checking organizations. Media Bias/Fact Check rates outlets on both factual reliability and political orientation.
If the outlet is one you have never heard of and cannot find reliable information about, treat its claims with significant skepticism regardless of how credible they appear.
Step 4: Find the Primary Source
Most news stories are based on underlying primary sources, studies, documents, statements, data releases, or events. Finding the primary source is the most reliable way to verify whether a claim is accurate.
If a story cites a study, find the actual study. Google Scholar, PubMed for medical research, and SSRN for social science research are free databases that provide access to millions of academic papers. Read the abstract and conclusion to see whether the study actually supports what the news story claims.
If a story cites a statistic, trace it back to its origin. Statistics often get distorted as they travel from primary source to news article to social media post.
Step 5: Check the Fact-Checkers
Several organizations specialize in evaluating the accuracy of specific claims.
PolitiFact rates statements by politicians and public figures on a scale from True to Pants on Fire. Its methodology is transparent and its ratings are accompanied by detailed explanations of the evidence.
AP Fact Check is the Associated Press's dedicated fact-checking operation. AP's institutional credibility and global reporting infrastructure make it one of the most reliable fact-checking resources available.
Reuters Fact Check operates similarly, with Reuters's global reach and sourcing standards backing its evaluations.
Snopes specializes in viral claims, urban legends, and social media misinformation.
FactCheck.org, operated by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, focuses on political claims and has been operating since 2003.
Reverse Image Search
One specific form of misinformation that does not fit neatly into the five-step process is the use of misleading images, real photographs presented with false context.
Reverse image search is the technique for catching this. On Google Images, you can drag and drop any image into the search bar to find other places the image has appeared online. TinEye is a dedicated reverse image search engine. Both tools can quickly reveal whether an image is being used out of context.
The Bigger Picture
Individual fact-checking is valuable but limited. You cannot personally verify every claim you encounter, and the volume of information in the current media environment makes comprehensive individual fact-checking impossible.
This is why evaluating sources, the outlets and individuals you rely on for information, matters more than fact-checking individual claims. If you consistently consume information from sources that have strong factual accuracy records and robust correction cultures, you will encounter less misinformation in the first place.
PressGrade scores media figures and outlets on factual accuracy and correction culture, among other criteria, to help you identify sources worth trusting before you have to fact-check their individual claims.
Search any media figure or outlet on PressGrade to see their full credibility score.