The following media literacy tip comes from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Washington. Dedicated to empowering voters and defending democracy, the League works to expand the public’s knowledge and understanding of media literacy and news education because they are key to developing healthy, civically engaged communities.
Use SIFT to help you determine if online information is trustworthy
Civic health increasingly is being impacted by the torrent of information that bombards us daily — and by way of all types of media.
The SIFT method, developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield, helps a person determine the trustworthiness of online content or, in other words, if something they read, hear or see is true, false, misleading or something else.
S, the first letter of SIFT, is for Stop. It reminds a person to stop before taking action on information from an unfamiliar source. Before reading, sharing, engaging with or using the information, verify if it is reliable.
I is for Investigate, as in Investigate the source: This doesn’t mean hours of research. Rather, look for what others have said about the information source. Start with a basic online search. Look for reliable sources rather than commercial appeals. And remember: AI is not fool-proof by any means.
F is for Find better (or other) coverage: If your investigation turns up a long list of additional sources, move on to Find better coverage about a topic. To find websites that might feature more reliable results, type “fact check” in front of your term in the search bar. Or check out these fact-checking websites.
T is for Trace claims, quotes and media to the original context: To ensure the information in front of you is being used as intended, Trace claims, quotes and media to its original context. An excellent source is Snopes. For information about an image that has been stripped of its context, use Google image search.
Consider exploring these fact-checking sites:
- The Poynter Institute: Fact-Checking
- Associated Press: AP Fact Check
- FastCheck.org