Kirkwood Library: Research Help: Evaluating News

Sources for Fact Checking Online News

Quick guide to fact-checking
Two-page help guide for quick and easy "shallow" fact-checking of news-type articles or statements. Great for checking accuracy of claims on social media outlets.

With the rash of disinformation and misinformation, a.k.a. "fake news" online, these are some sources that can help you get closer to the truth:

Politifact
Dedicated to fact-checking news and social media postings. Rates each on a scale from false to true based on demonstrated facts.
Factcheck.org
Their focus is on being a "consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics."
Snopes
Long-standing site dedicated to "discerning what is true and what is total nonsense". Find everything from news articles to social media posts to spam emails in their extensive collection of fact-checked articles.
AllSides
AllSides gathers news from many sources, with contexual information about possible bias. They aim for diversity of perspectives and promote conversation.

Additional fact checker sites for specialized topics:

Truth be Told
Non-profit website which "examines claims about the black community in public debate."
Climate Feedback
This highly-regarded site invites scientists who have a PhD and at least one published article on climate change to comment on the accuracy of published content like news articles and documentaries.
SciCheck
Companion site to FactCheck.org, this site focuses on identifying "false and misleading scientific claims made by partisans to influence public policy."
Quote Investigator
This is a fun project by an individual research, who tries to track down the actual origins of famous, or famously misattributed quotes.

Additional Resources

Credo InfoLit Tutorial: Evaluating Digital Sources Using Lateral Reading
Provides a method for assessing and locating accurate information online. May require logging in with your k number and password.
Hands-on Fact Checking
A free self-directed course from the Poynter Institute's "News University". Designed for college students as a self-directed course or as a resource for classroom instructors, the approximately 90-minute course includes lessons on identifying reliable sources in fact-checking, debunking viral misinformation, and deciding whether a statement is really checkable.
Fakeout!
An online interactive lesson that tests your ability to detect disinformation (or "fake news")
Check, Please! Starter Course
A free online course on how to fact and source-check. Each of the 5 lessons takes about 30 minutes to complete.

Newspaper Databases

Newspaper Websites

New York Times This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? The New York Times is a well-respected and long-running newspaper that covers national and international news.
- What's included? NYTimes.com provides full access to the New York Times website. NYTimes.com is updated 24/7 with time stamps. Sections include World, Politics, New York, Opinion, Business, Technology, Science, Sports, Arts, Fashion & Style, and Video.
Current Kirkwood students and employees may create an account to access Kirkwood's nytimes.com subscription. Follow the steps outlined here.
New York Times TimesMachine Archive This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? Access past articles from The New York Times for historical research.
- What's included? All content from the New York Times going back to their first issue in 1851.
To use the Library's subscription, you must first set up your own account through the New York Times website, using your Kirkwood email. Review instruction on the Library website.
Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? Get access to the full online content of this authoritative "newspaper of record" for business and financial news.
- What's included? All Wall Street Journal articles published online.
Kirkwood users must create their own account to access, and must use their Kirkwood email. Directions available on the Kirkwood Libraries website.
Google Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? For access to an assortment of older scanned newspapers.
- What's included? This is not a comprehensive collection, but it's worth a search if you needed historical news records.

News Database Collections

Newspaper Source Plus This link opens in a new window
Includes more than 860 full-text newspapers, including staff-written articles of the Cedar Rapids Gazette from 8/31/1997 to 2018. Also features many television and radio news transcripts.
News (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? For access to regional, national and local newspaper articles.
- What's included? More than 2,300 major U.S. regional, national, and local newspapers, as well as leading titles from around the world. It also includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts.
AP NewsWire This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? Go right to dependable national and global current news stories.
- What's included? News stories from the past 2 weeks, all from Associated Press, an independent global news organization.
Regional Business News This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? To access regional (smaller, local) business news from all around the country.
- What's included? Magazine and news articles from more than 80 regional business publications covering all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States.
Farm, Field and Fireside Collection This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? Access historical newspaper articles related to agricultural topics.
- What's included? Scanned images of historic agricultural newspapers published in the United States. Users can print, download, or e-mail individual articles free of charge.