News Evaluation & Journalism Code of Ethics
When evaluating news and journalism resources, look for an "About" page and a journalism code of ethics. Credible news sources will provide such information but all articles still need to be evaluated based on their content, accuracy, etc.
Ask yourself: What does the source cover? How does one report for that organization? Do journalists undergo training for that organization? How do they determine content? Who and how do they interview?
- AllSides
Multi-partisan news site dedicated to evaluating news via crowd-sourced media bias ratings. See topics and stories reported across a variety of news outlets.
Click the image for the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.
- FactCheck.org"A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania...[w]e monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."--from website
There are many different source types to choose from when doing research. However, no matter the source type, the evaluation process is the same.
Common source types:
- Academic journals & articles (written by experts or researchers in the discipline)
- Books / eBooks (written by anyone)
- Reference materials (i.e. encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries)
- Newspapers and Magazines (written by journalists)
- Websites, Videos, Media (written by anyone)
- Images (i.e. charts, pictures, infographics)
- Data & Statistics (usually affiliated with organizations, research studies, etc.)
Just because something is available online, that doesn’t mean it is a website. Online subscription databases like those from EBSCO or JSTOR are available because the library has paid to have online access to their materials, which is helpful for students and researchers trying to access scholarly content. On the open web, information is freely available, but anyone can create and host a site without any regulation, and some sites employ crowd source editing, which can be edited by anyone, such as Wikipedia.
When evaluating sources, go beyond the source (Google it!) and keep these six things in mind as you employee lateral reading (see the Stanford video below):
| Authority | Source | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Who has written this information? What credentials does this person/group have on this subject? Is your source credible? What is the reputation of the source or content author? | Who is responsible for the Web site or resource? What organization is hosting (and paying to keep alive) this page or publish this resource? | Why does this site or resource exist? Why was it created? Who is the intended audience? |
| Accuracy | Depth | Currency |
| Is the information accurate? Can it be verified through another source? Is the language objective and impartial or is it subjective and inflammatory? Is the information or research documented? | How thoroughly is the topic covered? Is it written for college level research? Is the information sufficiently complete for your purposes? | When was the information on the site last updated? When was the source published? Is the information timely? |
- Evaluating Internet Content--Video
In three minutes, learn some of the things to look for when evaluating charts, info-graphics, memes and other online content. (Credit: Beth Carpenter, TU Library)
Lateral Reading -- Evaluating Digital Resources (from Stanford History Education Group)