Be aware that many non-American news sources include graphic, often uncensored images, that depict the violence of war. Consider accessing information through a news database if you want to limit your search results to text only (no images). Other resources may return search results that include graphic imagery.
These subscription databases provide options to view text-only news from a variety of sources with no images.
These sources may include images and videos in their coverage of current events.
Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act on media in a responsible manner. "Fast news" and social media make it very easy to both send and receive information. Disinformation, whether for political and tactical purposes or financial gain, has been rampant as the conflict in Gaza has escalated. From deliberate disinformation campaigns to viral misinformation, one of the most effective things you can do to prevent the spread of inaccurate information is to stop and evaluate information before sharing. Follow the steps in this guide using the tabs across the top for fact-checking strategies and guides to evaluate news.
The SIFT method was developed by Mike Caulfield, a researcher who focuses on misinformation and online information literacy at the Center for an Informed Public. For more detailed approaches and background information on the SIFT Method, you can view the complete course, available as online modules
Information moves with great velocity. One of the most effective strategies for effectively navigating the news environment is to be deliberate in the way you engage with it. Disinformation relies on many tactics but research has shown that content that evokes emotional reactions, particularly outrage, spreads the fastest and leads to the most viral misinformation. Caulfield advises,
“When you feel strong emotion–happiness, anger, pride, vindication–and that emotion pushes you to share a “fact” with others, STOP. Above all, these are the claims that you must fact-check.”
Before you read information, and particularly before you share, stop to question whether you know :
Find out more about who is sharing information. If you're not familiar with the source, a quick Google search or look at a Wikipedia page about the source can be helpful in contextualizing where the information is coming from, what perspectives it might be carrying with it, and what considerations should be part of your evaluation of it.
If you investigate a source and find that you have doubts, or can't determine the reliability, look for a better source. Scan Google News or other aggregators for multiple sources of coverage. What does the consensus seem to be? Have professional fact-checkers already checked the claims or provided additional context?
Much of what we find online (and that which finds us through passive, algorithmic-driven feeds) has lost the original context. Trace the original claim to recontextualize who said it, in what context, when, and why. For images, right-click directly on the image and use the "search Google for image" option to trace to other sources.
The SIFT method was developed by Michael Caulfield and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
There are many professional fact-checking organizations. The following have pages dedicated to fact-checking ongoing claims in the current crisis.
The SIFT method is a practical, what-to-do model for approaching information. As you encounter information and practice the four moves, you may want to have questions that inform your interrogation of the content. While there are many guides for this, one approach is "The Way of Skeptical Knowing" developed by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. It encourages the following questions for reflection:
Information overload has been associated with anxiety, and with a tendency to share information without verification, contributing to an overall problem with misinformation (see, for example Huang, Lei, & Ni, 2022). And, paradoxically, information overload from too much news has been linked to an overall decrease in feelings of efficacy and can result in news avoidance (see, for example, Park, 2019).
We encourage you to reflect on your interactions with news and information about this and other ongoing situations. When you begin to feel overwhelmed by the amount of news and information available,
1) Determine what information you need to make decisions about next steps
2) Seek out that information from trusted sources
3) Step away from news and social media until you are able to reasonably re-engage.