In a timely (and necessary) step towards broader news literacy, a new fact-checking site has launched to teach people how to better pinpoint misinformation. Called RumorGuard, it offers a one-stop shop for misinformation debunking and a glimpse into the fact-checking process, on top of a library of authoritative tools to help individuals spot, verify, and fight against rapidly spreading misinformation themselves.
With the escalating problem of unverified information continuing to trend and spread ahead of this year’s midterm elections, every resource is essential — especially as Americans continue dropping the ball on media and news literacy tests. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that only 26 percent of American adults could discern factual news statements from fake ones. A 2019 Stanford study had even bleaker news on the teen front, finding that two-thirds of high school participants couldn’t find the differences between news information and advertisements, and 96 percent couldn’t effectively determine a source’s credibility.
Social media isn’t helping this situation, either. Sites like Twitter and TikTok battle constant barrages of misinformation. A 2022 report by fact-checking organization NewsGuard found that 20 percent of videos suggested by TikTok’s search function contain misinformation. To address this, TikTok’s partnered with the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and removed accounts spreading harmful misinformation. Other social media platforms, like YouTube, Twitter, and even Pinterest, are doing the same, if not more, like Twitter’s misleading post flags and Birdwatch fact-checking program.
But there’s still much work to be done, especially in the realm of individual education.
RumorGuard was created by nonpartisan educational nonprofit The News Literacy Project, which teaches and fosters the skills needed to discern credible news information in a push for broader news literacy. The organization approaches the task in various ways, paying special attention to young people and supplying resources and expertise to educators. But now, the organization has made its big push to the public at large, helping those of all ages learn about news literacy.
« Misinformation is a real threat to our democracy, our health, and our environment. But too many people are not sure how to verify the news they come across and are convinced there is no useful action they can take to protect themselves and others from being fooled, » wrote Charles Salter, president and CEO of the News Literacy Project, in the website’s announcement.
The website is an interactive fact-checking resource, pulling from both outside and in-house professional fact-checkers, on viral misinformation and rumors, providing users the ability to not only debunk the big items floating around their Twitter feeds or shared on their family members’ Facebook pages, but also the chance to learn how to do the fact-checking themselves — all using a simple test to gauge a post’s credibility. This process looks at five factors, the organization explains:
Source: Has the information been posted by a credible source?
Evidence: Is there any evidence that proves the claim is true?
Context: Is the provided context accurate?
Reasoning: Is the claim based on sound reasoning?
Authenticity: Is the information authentic, or has it been edited, changed, or completely made up?
Dan Evon, senior manager of education design at the News Literacy Project, RumorGuard writer, and a former fact-checker himself, described the project as an extension of traditional single-point fact-checking created to address the almost impossible demand of debunks. « There’s just too much misinformation for it all to be covered. There’s a dozen or so sites that do this work, and there are hundreds of people, thousands of people, that put out fake content, » he explained. « There’s just this imbalance of the media we consume and the corrected information. »
Each example of a debunked piece of misinformation acts as a kind of teachable lesson about the spread of misinformation, with actionable tools to recognize and address future instances. « We have a ton of resources that we’ve built over the years that originally were aimed for classrooms and teachers, but we think are really valuable for the general public, » explained Alee Quick, civic marketing manager for the News Literacy Project. « It’s meant to be a learning experience so that when people see viral information come across their feed next time, they can take what they’ve learned and apply it for themselves. »
It’s intended to empower individuals in all kinds of contexts, but especially in your own social circles. « We know that it’s really difficult to talk to people who may be sharing misinformation, » Quick said, « But when these conversations start among friends and family, it’s a little bit easier to stomach. It’s easier to talk to your parent or hear it from your kid. RumorGuard is how we’re trying to empower people to do that. »
RumorGuard is a new variation of numerous fact-checking websites, like Snopes, which supply viral « debunks » to curb the spread of misinformation. What sets RumorGuard apart, however, is this engagement with future learning, and, beyond the simple debunk, its choice to give visitors a longer look at the details. Each debunk describes the rumor or misleading video or piece of misinformation, explaining what is factually incorrect, and just where the content failed the organization’s five-factor test. Scrolling on, the project provides important takeaways from the post, such as its social media reach and potential impact, as well as the larger context in which this kind of rumor operates online. The site also includes tutorials and technique guides at the bottom of each debunk diving into the process even further, as well as a video walk-through of the misinformation to share as needed.
In a timely example, the site’s latest post debunks a viral tweet implying an elephant seal was found walking around the streets of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The video is miscaptioned (a common occurrence around natural disasters, RumorGuard explains, and something to watch out for), and is actually a 2020 video from Puerto Cisnes, Chile. Other examples offer glimpses into altered videos, like one erroneously depicting president Donald Trump and Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema together, or fabricated headlines that mislead social media users into believing incorrect « expert claims. »
The platform is also part of a larger digital campaign against misinformation, which the News Literacy Project describes as similar to those against littering, smoking, or drunk driving. It hopes to build a national movement for news literacy across all ages, and may be expanded on in the future with things like direct-to-inbox rumor alerts and other social pushes.
The News Literacy Project’s mission is to put as many misinformation-blocking tools as possible in the hands of as many people as possible, and its library of apps, learning modules, and sites like RumorGuard is doing just that. « The one thing that I hope people take away is to slow down a little bit, » Evon said. « Take a second to think critically, and then we’ll give you the skills to go from there. »
