In the current era of quick and easily accessible media apps and websites, the issue of fake news has come to the forefront of security issues. In December of 2017, a gunman entered a popular Washington Pizzaria believing that he was saving children trapped in the basement. He was said to have been investigating reports of a child ses-trafficking ring led by Hillary Clinton, a conspiracy theory otherwise known as “Pizzagate.”
The ability for baseless conspiracy theories such as these to proliferate throughout society is deeply concerning. However, stopping the spread isn’t just the responsibility of the social media platforms or search engines used to circulate these stories. The readers, like you and I, have a responsibility to read and digest news stories with uncertainty and suspicion. Part of this process involves fact-checking the sources we choose to read. Below we offer tips on how to fact-check a story, as well as links to credible fact-checking websites.