Questions to Ask Yourself
Finding information is hardly a challenge in the Google Age. Instead, the challenge is in filtering to efficiently arrive at what is worthwhile. In the book Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload by journalists Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, they suggest asking yourself the following questions (32).
If you can answer these questions, you will certainly have a very good handle on the credibility and worthiness of whether to include it.
Kovach, Bill, and Rosenstiel, Tom. Blur : How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload. Bloomsbury, 2011.
Analyzing the Authority of Website
Determine who bears the most responsibility for the information.
Advice on Spotting Fake News
NewsGuard thoroughly evaluates over 35,000 online news sites. Use Microsoft Edge browser and download the extension for free. (Otherwise it's a subscription service, $4.95/month.) Use it on laptops. (NewsGuard claims it will work on the app version on mobile devices, but it isn't in the settings for Apple iOS.)
Adding NewsGuard to Microsoft Edge
Within Microsoft Edge, click on Microsoft Edge in the toolbar, then Microsoft Edge Extensions. Search newsguard and click to add it.
When you click the Get button, it prompts you to create an account in NewsGuard. Click the Sign In button, top right corner, and either create an account or sign in with an existing Apple, Facebook, or Google account. It will acknowledge that the account when used on Microsoft Edge is free.
Using NewsGuard
Once you have NewsGuard installed, you'll see a blue icon with 0-100% to the results list in Google, or at the top next to the URL when you are on a site that NewsGuard has evaluated. The bigger the percentage, the higher the credibility score. Hover over the icon to bring up a short evaluation of how well it follows journalistic standards. Click on See the full Nutrition Label to view a detailed analysis, with references. (You may also run into a gray icon for platforms like YouTube, or an orange icon for satirical sites like The Onion.)