with so much information online it can
be tough to know what's factual and
what's inaccurate or sensationalized
that's why you should always evaluate
what you find online to confirm its
reliability first determine if the
website you're visiting is reliable
trustworthy websites offer objective
fact based on thorough research but
there are many other sites willing to
share less reliable information always
find out where an article or video got
their information to ensure they're
sticking to the truth if an article
makes a claim without mentioning the
source of that claim be skeptical next
always keep an eye out for bias as a
biased website may distort the truth in
order to influence you they may use
emotional language make broad
generalizations and assumptions or leave
out key facts to overcome bias focus on
the facts of an article and then check
multiple websites covering the same
topic while this process may seem
time-consuming getting different
perspectives can shed new light on a
subject while helping you look beyond
possible bias in addition to external
bias you also need to watch out for your
own confirmation bias is the tendency to
seek out and favored information that
reinforces your existing beliefs and it
can make it harder to look at a site
objectively to get over confirmation
bias ask questions to try and understand
different viewpoints and investigate the
accuracy of all the information you
consume whether you agree with it or not
comedy writing is all over the internet
so it's possible that an outlandish
article could actually be a joke some
sites like the onion write humorous
content based on current events and at
first glance their stories can look
authentic however if a story seems a
little too wild make sure it isn't
trying to be funny finally whenever you
check multiple sources also consider
using fact-checking sites like
PolitiFact
fact check or Snopes these sites
specialize in researching
current events and claims although these
sites are perfect they do provide
reliable sources that you can
investigate yourself the internet is
full of near limitless knowledge but
it's up to you to figure out what's
reliable and what's not take your time
when consuming information online
because truth is worth the effort
GCF global creating opportunities for a
better life