Misinformation has a new nemesis. RumorGuard has launched to debunk many of the false or misleading stories on socials. Considering only 26-percent of American adults could discern factual news statements from fake ones and two-thirds of teens can’t tell the difference between ads and news information, the site seems to be needed. The site aims to build news literacy education. The News Literacy Project is behind the debunking saite and CEO Charles Salter explains "Misinformation is a real threat to our democracy, our health, and our environment. “Too many people are not sure how to verify the news they come across and are convinced there is no useful action they can take to protect themselves and others from being fooled."
RumorGuard says you can fact check yourself by asking these questions:
- Source: Has the information been posted by a credible source?
- Evidence: Is there any evidence that proves the claim is true?
- Context: Is the provided context accurate?
- Reasoning: Is the claim based on sound reasoning?
- Authenticity: Is the information authentic, or has it been edited, changed, or completely made up?
Source: Mashable