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EDFL 3240 - Media Bias Assignment

Fact Checker Approach

Although the CRAAP Test has some value and is commonly used, a Stanford study compared the results of critical web evaluation searches between students and faculty using the CRAAP test and professional fact checkers. The fact-checkers won!

While the students and faculty using the CRAAP Test did a thorough examination of the website, the “fact-checkers…almost immediately began an independent verification process, a strategy the researchers dubbed “lateral reading”—opening multiple tabs, and searching for independent information on the publishing organization, funding sources, and other factors that might indicate the reliability and perspective of the site and its authors or sponsors” (Fielding, 2019).

 Fielding, J. (2019). Rethinking CRAAP: Getting students thinking like fact-checkers in evaluating web sources. College & Research Libraries
 News, 80(11), 620. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.80.11.620

Lateral Reading: The SIFT Method

Lateral reading is a strategy that asks the reader to evaluate and verify information as you are reading it. Think of it as "going wide": opening new internet tabs to check the veracity of claims in the first tab through a variety of authoritative information evaluation websites. These new tabs could include searches for:

  • The author of the original claim or article
  • The ownership of the original website
  • The review policy of the journal, newspaper, or other publication

To accomplish a thorough 'read' of a piece of information, try the four-move SIFT Method for lateral reading. 

Infographic showing the steps of SIFT: Stop, investigate the source, find trusted coverage, trace claims, quotes and media to the original context.

STOP INVESTIGATE
Ask yourself whether you know and trust the website or source of the information. If you don't, use the other moves to get a sense of what you're looking at. Don't read it or share it until you know what it is. Know what you are reading before you read it. Find out who is writing what you're reading and if they are an expert in that field.
FIND TRACE
If you're reading a claim, find trusted coverage from other sources that can verify the same information. Scan multiple other sources and find out if there is agreement on the claim being made.  Is there any missing context from what you're reading? Look for a trace of the original source to see the original context. Is the claim being accurately represented?

Source: Check, Please! Starter Course 

CRAAP Test

Currency: the timeliness of the information

  • When was the information published or posted?
  • Has the information been revised or updated?
  • Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic?
  • Are the links functional?

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

  • Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
  • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
  • Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

  • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  • Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
  • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
  • What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?  Can they be verified?
  • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
  • Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

  • Where does the information come from?
  • Is the information supported by evidence?
  • Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
  • Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
  • Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
  • Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

  • What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
  • Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
  • Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
  • Follow the money.  Who stands to gain from this?
  • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
  • Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?
  • What clues does the format give to the purpose, audience, quality?

The CRAAP test was developed by librarians at CSU Chico. https://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf