It is critical to evaluate the sources you use for academic research, and as a citizen looking for information. You should routinely question the content you find, and learn to differentiate between misinformation, disinformation, opinions, and facts. Assess several aspects of all the content you find, minimally: pinpoint the purpose of the media, question the credibility, reliability, accuracy and learn more about the author and organization's background (motivation, affiliations, donors, expertise, bias, etc.), before deciding if the information is truthful. Evaluation strategies are necessary for understanding and navigating media in today's society.
fake news [feyk nooz] (noun) False information or propaganda published as if it were authentic news
social media [soh-shuh l mee-dee-uh] (noun) Websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts
evaluation tool [ih-val-yoo-ey-shuh n tool] (noun) A process or procedure to judge or assess the trustworthiness of something
credibility [kred-uh-bil-i-tee] (noun) The trustworthiness or reliability of something
bias [bahy-uh s] (noun) prejudice; consciously or subconsciously favoring one person or point of view more than others
accuracy [ak-yer-uh-see] (noun) The condition or quality of being true, correct or exact; freedom from error or defect
reliability [ri-lahy-uh-bil-i-tee] (noun) The ability to be relied on or depended on, as for accuracy, honesty or achievement
Sources: Dictionary.com, freethesaurus.com, Learningforjustice.org