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This is part of “Can You Believe It?” a series of stories and resources focused on giving you the tools to fight disinformation heading into Election 2020. You can find 

Anyone who’s the tiniest bit tech-savvy can buy a dot-com domain, build a website that looks like a news organization and 

Then, they can get a Facebook or Twitter account and use those platforms to spread their message to, potentially, millions of real humans.

How’s a person to cope? Start by asking these five questions of every site you read:

Questionable news sites often use anonymous writers or writers who use pseudonyms. Sometimes, stories have no byline at all. Legitimate news sources rely on accountability, which isn’t possible without a real name.

If there’s no phone number, address or email attached to a site, it’s likely to be a fraud. Good newsrooms will be accountable to their audience and give ways to contact them.

, have an ombudsman or public editor. Their job is to field and respond to criticism about the news outlet’s approach to reporting. Others will at least have a way to contact the newsroom. 

, a nonpartisan site that evaluates publications based on their transparency and credibility. 

Knowing who’s paying for a publication can tell you who it’s accountable to.

Nonprofit media companies like American Public Media, of which MPR News is a part, must disclose their financials annually in a public tax document called a 

. Reputable nonprofit news sources will also disclose contributions, grants and corporate sponsorships in 

Commercial media will show its funding source in the form of advertising. There will be a clear way to inquire about purchasing advertising, like 

If it’s not evident how the news source makes money, that’s a red flag.

Consider Alpha News — a website that appears to be an online, Minnesota-based local news source. But, as MPR News 

, it’s tied to a prominent Republican donor and his political group.

Does the site have a mission statement or ‘about’ section?

News organizations should explain why they exist. Do they report news? Opinion? A mix of both?

 outlines the types of stories it does, its reporters’ ethical standards and how it accepts commentary pieces. It also discloses major funders and donor statistics.

Real news sites publish stories that include quotes attributed to real people, cite a variety of sources and stay clear of aggregated news.

More tips on how to spot false information

MPR News initiative Can You Believe It?

Essential tools to fight disinformation

How to spot faulty news

Politics and Government News

NewsPartners

Election 2020

Can You Believe It?

Cody Nelson

Author

With more news outlets than ever online, it’s crucial to evaluate the source of information before taking it into consideration. Here are five questions to test a news site’s credibility.

How to vet a news source

A news stand shows publications with fake headlines.

How to vet a news source

Go Deeper.

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