![\"Stop](\"https:\/\/library.bc.edu\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/stopallway.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s that simple: just stop. Don\u2019t retweet, don\u2019t share, don\u2019t like, don\u2019t Google. Hit pause. Information-seeking takes slow, mindful attention. Anger wants to move fast and break things. Give your reaction a few minutes to settle down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Step away<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social media is designed to be addictive, and moral outrage is the fastest-selling drug. If you find yourself scrolling endlessly and\/or looking for chances to display your righteousness (or your high-minded neutrality) take a social media break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Pop the bubble<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does your social media network mostly affirm what you believe? Pop that bubble and go in search of more diverse views. Not sure where to start for other perspectives? Try allsides.com<\/a>, a news aggregator that sorts into right, left, and center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a fact-checking process you can use to check the truth of a story, based on the one in Mike Caulfield\u2019s book Web Literacy for Student Fact-checkers<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check fact-checking sites on the internet: Snopes<\/a>, factcheck.org<\/a>, and Politifact<\/a> are all dependable. Give each of those a quick look. If they haven\u2019t covered it yet, take the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of news shared on social media is recycled: tweets re-packaged in online stories, details from news articles quoted in blog entries, or even news stories themselves recycled by other news outlets. Find the original source, where the story first entered the news cycle. The purpose: to evaluate whether you can trust the actual source<\/em>, never mind your friend who shared it or the online article that summarized it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re unfamiliar with a source or news organization, go sideways: Google details about the news outlet and\/or the journalist. Do other news outlets regularly quote them? Have they won awards? Has the journalist worked at news outlets you\u2019ve heard of? A shortcut: NewsGuard<\/a> is a browser plugin that checks news outlets\u2019 ethical standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now examine the original item itself, specifically looking for answers to these questions: What happened? Who did the journalist interview to find out? Are the sources named? (Is it just \u201ca police spokesperson\u201d or is it \u201cCaptain so-and-so\u201d?) Did they talk to more than just officials (who are likely to spin a situation to their advantage)? Are there multiple perspectives, or does the whole story depend on one source? Are there photos or videos that confirm the claims? How much of the story is designed to influence rather than inform?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things people do with photos: mis-attribute (that was Paris in \u201807, not DC in \u201820), crop, and edit. (You know how easy it is to alter an image using a cheap or free app on your phone.) Things people do with videos: mis-attribute, edit, film from limited perspective, crop, and edit audio. IOW, always get verification that the image or video you\u2019re looking at is complete, unaltered, and sourced and attributed diligently. First Draft News\u2019 Verification Toolbox<\/a> is what many journalists use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a story passes muster, do your part to nudge social media algorithms towards credible sources: share, like, and retweet the story passionately, and share how you confirmed it, to help your friends learn how to help build a fact-based reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interested in more tools? Check out BC Libraries\u2019 News Literacy<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRe-engage mindfully<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Sign:](\"https:\/\/library.bc.edu\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/take-care-of-head-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n1. Look for existing fact-checks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Look upstream<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Look sideways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Look close<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Side-eye photos and videos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n