There’s one question readers ask us more than any other about fake news: How can we even begin to tell if a story is fabricated, or if a news source is untrustworthy?
Hundreds (if not thousands) of online outlets try to trick people into clicking on, believing in and sharing their made-up wares. It can be exceptionally difficult to determine whether a report can be taken at face value.
After spending months sorting through news stories we’ve proven are fake, we’ve identified some common elements among bogus reports.
We’re here to help, with this handy quiz that can help guide you as you read.
The next time you run across a news story that seems unbelieveable, take a closer look. Look for the details this quiz identifies and answer 10 quick questions. If you’re not sure of the answer, just do your best.
When you’re done, our test will give you an idea of whether the story (and the website that published it) is worth heeding, or if you’d be better off looking elsewhere.
If you think the quiz produced a result in error, we’d love to hear about it so we can continue to refine the questions and scoring system. If the quiz helped you, we’d love to hear about that, too. Email us at truthometer@politifact.com.
Our Sources
PolitiFact, "PolitiFact's guide to fake news websites and what they peddle," April 20, 2017
PolitiFact, "Fact-checking fake news reveals how hard it is to kill pervasive ‘nasty weed’ online," Jan. 27, 2017
