A Jumping Off Point for News Sources
The below chart, created by Denver patent attorney Vanessa Otero, is a good jumping off point when considering the level of information various sources provide as well as where those sources lean politically.
The information in this chart doesn't mean that if you find an article from The Economist (near the top of the chart and near the center), you should use it without evaluating it any further. If you're going to use any piece of information you find online as evidence in your own work, you have a responsibility to examine it closely, no matter where it comes from.
What if I Can't Tell?
Sometimes it's difficult to tell if the information you're looking at is true. In that case, see if you can confirm the information elsewhere:
- FactCheck.orgA nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
- Politifact"PolitiFact staffers research statements and rate their accuracy on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get the lowest rating, Pants on Fire."
- SnopesThis site started out investigating urban legends online, but its scope has grown to include lots of kinds of information online including the news.