During polarized times such as election season, it can oftentimes be difficult to know where to find factual information. We, the Editorial Board, emphasize the importance of knowing where to find fact-checked information and encourage voters to search for trusted news sources.
As a news outlet ourselves, we value the importance of publishing factual information and ensuring that said information is easily accessible. Some voters may not know how to find sources that present information in a straightforward way, and we would like to give some of our best tips on how to find factual information.
The strategies used to find news sources are many of the same used in searching for credible sources for an essay or assignment in a class. At first glance, voters can check domain names to ensure sources end in .org or .edu. One can look into the author’s biography on the site and do their own research about who is writing the story to ensure they have the proper credentials. This can even be done for the site or the organization as a whole to ensure the information is produced by a legitimate source.
It’s also important for readers to just trust their gut. If a headline seems too sensational, know the story may be made for clicks and not be used to report factual information. If a site looks out of date, the stories themselves may be old, or the site may not be legitimate. One can find a trusted fact checking website as well to ensure that reported statements are truthful.
It’s best practice to not just rely on one source alone. To receive unbiased information, one should check multiple sources reporting on the same issue to find commonalities among the stories and ensure they are nonpartisan. It’s easy to get stuck in an echochamber of news outlets and only get information from one party, and one needs to be well informed in times like the election season.