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Use This Checklist To Find Out If You’re Looking At Fake News

Use This Checklist To Find Out If You’re Looking At Fake News

It puts the funk in debunk.

By Craig Silverman

Headshot of Craig Silverman

Craig Silverman

BuzzFeed News Media Editor

Posted on December 16, 2016, at 9:35 p.m. ET

  1. Check all that apply and we'll help figure out if you're looking at something dodgy.

    BuzzFeed

    Note that this is not 100% foolproof — use the result as guidance. You always need to decide for yourself.

    Check
    The headline uses ALL CAPS
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    The headline uses ALL CAPS
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    The headline makes a claim or statement that is not backed up by any of the info the story itself.
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    The headline makes a claim or statement that is not backed up by any of the info the story itself.
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    The author is not listed, or they use a pseudonym.
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    The author is not listed, or they use a pseudonym.
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    The site does not have an About page, or the page doesn't clearly say who is behind it.
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    The site does not have an About page, or the page doesn't clearly say who is behind it.
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    You click on the About or Disclaimer page and it says the site is a "fantasy news" site or a satire site, or some other description that tells you some or all of what it publishes is not true.
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    You click on the About or Disclaimer page and it says the site is a "fantasy news" site or a satire site, or some other description that tells you some or all of what it publishes is not true.
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    The story doesn't have any links.
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    The story doesn't have any links.
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    The story has links, but they don't go to credible sources you're familiar with, or they take you to homepages rather than specific articles.
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    The story has links, but they don't go to credible sources you're familiar with, or they take you to homepages rather than specific articles.
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    Check
    There are no other stories about this same story/claim in Google News.
    There are no other stories about this same story/claim in Google News.
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    The URL pretends to be a real news site, like ABCNews.com.co.
    The URL pretends to be a real news site, like ABCNews.com.co.
    Check
    You Google the URL and get a result from Snopes.com that was false.
    You Google the URL and get a result from Snopes.com that was false.

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