March 20, 2017
Judge Tom
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Real v. fake news: can you tell the difference?

Tabloids

The country has been bombarded with “fake news” and “alternative facts” this past year. After an unprecedented  presidential election,  in terms of social media and its impact, how can you tell the difference between what’s fact and what’s fiction? Now that we’ve gotten used to headlines that read like supermarket tabloids, how can you be sure what you’re reading is accurate, and not the product of the extreme right or left?

Here are some suggestions to verify the accuracy of the article you’re reading – before you pass it on.

  • Does the subject of the story and language used upset you? Does it challenge your  common sense? It may not be true.
  • Does the URL look strange – something you’re not used to seeing? The “com.co” on an otherwise authentic-looking website is a red flag.
  • Google the names of the writers and people in the article to see if they’re legitimate.
  • Are other news sites reporting the same story? If so, then it’s more likely real, not fake.
  • Most importantly, have you fact checked the story? Use FactCheck.org or Snopes.com to verify what’s reported before repeating it.

Photo by Matthew G (Flickr)

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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