The Library now offers a helpful site where people who get their news over the web can go for information about how to spot fake news. The library guide—by showing how to identify the growing number of insidious stories that entice the unwary into believing emotionally appealing but false narratives—provides information that faculty, students, and the public can use to prevent fake news from spreading on social media.

The site includes ways of spotting tell-tale warning signs that can alert people to suspicious stories, and gives consumers the skills to do their own fact-checking—the CRAAP test is a diagnostic tool anyone can use to determine a story’s Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

The site also explains the difference between fake news and biased reporting, and supplies links to articles on the growing phenomenon of fake news and the problems it poses for society.

Please take time to visit the library site, and begin examining the news with a more critical eye. Here’s your chance to make the world a more honest place.