One of the biggest challenges facing educators as they head back to campus in the ‘new normal’ of remote learning environments is trying to make sure that students are using research sources that are safe and unbiased.
These fact-checking sites for students and other online resources (in alphabetical order) specialize in debunking claims and providing objective, researched analysis.
AllSides – An unbiased site featuring news topics from around the world that includes a media-biased comparison chart that shows where the major news providers fall on a given issue.
Deceptive Detective – An infographic from Common Sense Media that helps students become a “online detective” and decipher between fact and fiction.
FactCheck.org – A nice site for fact-checking political news, especially those in which both parties are speaking at the same venue.
Hoax Slayer – Debunks hoaxes regarding email, social media, and internet security, and alerts students to the most recent scams.
NAMLE – The National Association for Media Literacy Education is a great site to find, analyze, and evaluate all forms of communication.
NPR Fact Check – Students can find unbiased information regarding world news, including footnotes to address when news is skewed.
Politifact – My favorite site for checking facts regarding political news that uses a very fun “truth-o-meter.”
Snopes – One of the most popular sites on the web to find evidenced-based news that is cited so students can do their own research as well.
Ted ED – “How to Choose Your News” is an excellent educational video by Damon Brown that explains to students the difference between fact and fiction in the news.
Washington Post Fact Checker – A great paid site to find news articles that are fact-checked. However, the organization tends to fact check more conservative news than liberal.
David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment.