News Sources
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.
News Aggregator Databases
These subscription databases provide options to view text-only news from a variety of sources with no images.
- Access World News Research Collection This link opens in a new window
A database offering global news content, including newspapers, broadcasts, and online sources, enabling users to explore diverse perspectives and historical archives.
- Access World News - news from Israel and Palestinian TerritoriesNews sources based in Israel or the Palestinian Territories. Note that most are text-only, but two (The Jerusalem Post and The Jerusalem Report) do also offer formats that include images.
- Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Access full-text articles and transcripts from a wide range of national & international news sources, covering diverse topics and current events for research & reference. Effective May 13, EBSCO databases will debut new features and an updated design. Learn more.
Open Web News Sources
These sources may include images and videos in their coverage of current events.
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Media Literacy
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.
- Navigating Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas WarOverview from the News Literacy Project
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
Stop
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 :
- What is the source of information?
- What is their purpose in sharing the information?
- Who is the intended audience for the information?
- What is your purpose in engaging with and/or sharing the information?
Investigate the Source
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.
Find Better Coverage
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?
Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original 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.
- Ongoing thread of debunked viral claimsSince October 7, BBC disinformation and verification journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh has maintained an X thread dubunking viral claims, particularly focused on viral images.
- Politifact Israel CoverageNote: Politifact is compiling all fact checks under the "Israel" heading, but this includes fact checks around Gaza as well.
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:
- What kind of content am I encountering?
- Is the information complete and, if not, what am I missing?
- Who or what are the sources and why should I believe them?
- What evidence is presented, and how is it tested or vetted?
- What might be an alternative explanation or understanding?
- Am I learning what I need to?
Blur by
Amid the hand-wringing over the death of "true journalism" in the Internet Age--the din of bloggers, the echo chamber of Twitter, the predominance of Wikipedia--veteran journalists and media critics Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel have written a pragmatic, serious-minded guide to navigating the twenty-first century media terrain. Yes, old authorities are being dismantled, new ones created, and the very nature of knowledge has changed. But seeking the truth remains the purpose of journalism--and the object for those who consume it. How do we discern what is reliable? How do we determine which facts (or whose opinions) to trust? Blur provides a road map, or more specifically, reveals the craft that has been used in newsrooms by the very best journalists for getting at the truth. In an age when the line between citizen and journalist is becoming increasingly unclear, Blur is a crucial guide for those who want to know what's true. Ways of Skeptical Knowing--Six Essential Tools for Interpreting theNews 1. What kind of content am I encountering? 2. Is the information complete? If not, what's missing? 3. Who or what are the sources and why should I believe them? 4. What evidence is presented and how was it tested or vetted? 5. What might bean alternative explanation or understanding? 6. Am I learning what I need?
ISBN: 9781596915657Publication Date: 2010-11-09
- Media Literacy Guide: How to Detect Bias in News MediaFairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) is a national media watch group, offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. This guide offers questions to consider about news you consume.
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.
