Fact checking Tips and Strategies

Hi everyone,

We know that it can be hard to determine whether the news you’re seeing online is true or trustworthy. You might come across some stories or ideas in Scratch comments or elsewhere on the internet that you want to respond to or share right away. But unfortunately, there is a lot of untrue and untrustworthy information on the internet.

It’s important to keep an eye out for false information because some of it has the potential to be really dangerous or harmful when spread around.

We wanted to share a few quick tips to investigate if a fact, statistic, or piece of news is true. It’s a good idea to keep these tips in mind whenever you come across new information.

Double check

If something you heard seems surprising or suspicious, it’s important to double-check it by doing your own research before you share it around. See if you can find multiple trusted sources sharing the same information. (We share some tips on determining if a source is trusted below.)

Consider the source

Where did you first hear this information?

If it was a comment, video, or social media post…

• Did the person who shared it include their source(s)?
• If they didn’t, do your research! Can you find trusted sources that back up the information?

If it was a website….

• Is the website a trusted source? (We share some tips on determining that below.)
• Does the article or video cite its sources? Is it based on research? Can you find other trusted sources that back up the facts they’ve shared?
• Can you verify the story with a fact checking site? Here some fact-checking resources you can check out:
  • Fact Checking Tools for Teens and Tweens - Common Sense Media 
  • Top 10 Sites to Help Students Check Their Facts - ISTE
  • Fact Check - NPR
  • Digital Literacy Videos - Teaching Tolerance

If you find the answer to the questions above is “no,” then the information you saw is probably untrue.

How can you tell if a source is trustworthy or credible?

• Do the articles or videos on the source cite their sources? Is there research or other kinds of proof linked from the video or story?

Trustworthy sources include proof with their stories—when they share a fact, quote, or statistic, they back it up with links to other trusted sources, research, or other documentation.

• Do the titles of most of their stories or videos sound like facts that can be backed up with proof, or do they sound like opinions?

                Untrustworthy sources often post lots of stories that are opinion-based, not fact-based.

• Have you checked stories from this source in the past, and found that they were untrue?

                This is a good indicator that the source is untrustworthy.

• Has the source been around for a long time? Does it have a record of posting credible stories?

For example, a source like National Geographic has a longer record of posting credible stories than someone’s year-old YouTube channel.

If you see that someone on Scratch is sharing false information that could be dangerous or harmful, please click the report button or reach out to us via Contact Us. We appreciate your help keeping Scratch a safe and friendly place.

Scratch On!

Scratch Team

Summary

Before sharing information online, take a moment to check if it’s true. Look for multiple trusted sources and make sure the information is backed by evidence, not just opinions. Be careful with posts that don’t cite sources or seem suspicious. If you see harmful or false information on Scratch, report it.