How to spot fake news: Identifying propaganda, satire, and false information

On this page

Breaking news: Google bans cat pics on the internet! Apocalypse Meow! Two cats, one facing the camera, mouth open in surprise.

Whether it's "insidious confusion," quackery, spin, disinformation, misinformation, or just a misunderstanding, there is a lot of false information out there.

Here are some strategies for identifying it. 

 April 2025 updates

Now updated for the 2025 Canadian federal election.

How to spot fake news in eight simple steps

How to spot fake new infographic. Full text is below, under the heading: How to spot fake news in eight simple steps.
How To Spot Fake News from IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)
How to spot fake news in eight simple steps (text version)

Consider the source

Click away from the story to learn more about the website, including its stated mission and contact information. For a picture, try a reverse image search to find out where it was originally used, and whether it has been altered.

Read beyond

Beware of outrageous headlines, statements in ALL CAPS, and sensational images designed to get clicks. Read the full story and then investigate further.

Check the author

Do a quick search on the author to find out if they are credible (or even a real person). What is the person's background? What qualifications do they have, and how are they related to the topic they are writing about?

Supporting sources?

Check to make sure the links support the story -- and are credible.

Check the date

Is this an old story? 

Is it a joke?

If the image looks unbelievable or the news sounds too outrageous, it may be satire. Research the site and the author to check.

Check your biases

Consider whether your own beliefs might affect your judgement. 

Ask the experts

Ask a librarian, or visit a fact-checking site. 

Watch a video -- or a try a quiz

This video (4:35) features University of Washington professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin D. West sharing three quick tips for spotting lies and misinformation. (From Grist, a nonprofit independent media organisation focussing on climate solutions, March 30 2021.)

 Try a quiz

Think you can tell a legitimate story from a fake one just from the headline?

For young people: 

And for AI:

Inaccurate and misleading information during elections

Source: Elections Canada.

The spread of inaccurate information, especially during an election, can be harmful and impact electors' trust in the integrity of the election. However, there are measures that can be taken to mitigate the impact of the spread of inaccurate information. 

Elections Canada

Tips for the 2025 Canadian federal election

Elections Canada's Digital Literacy page includes tips for:

  • spotting inaccurate information, including via the use of AI
  • checking sources
  • countering inaccurate information (stopping the spread, encouraging others to verify what they post, and reporting to social media platforms).

The Government of Canada has also created resources for resisting disinformation during an election. -- including a printable fact sheet. 

Impacts of AI

In AI is making elections weird: Lessons from a simulated war-game exercise, Concordia researchers created a simulation to evaluate generative AI’s impact on Canada’s political information cycle, noting "Generative AI is easy to use for disruption," and "AI detection tools can only go so far."

In April 2025, the CBC tested how easy it was to create fake images of real politicians using ChatGPT, and in 3 sneaky ways you could be influenced this election went to the Media Ecosystem Observatory to learn more about what we need to watch for -- including AI, bots, and manipulated social media groups. 

Tips for interpreting breaking news

Breaking news consumer's handbook infographic. For full text see the description below.

 

"'Whatever you might hear in the first couple of hours after a major news event, you should probably take it all with a grain of salt,' says Andy Carvin, senior strategist on NPR's [National Public Radio's] Digital Desk." 

WNYC's On the Media podcast producers have created the Breaking News Consumer's Handbook, a nine-point checklist for evaluating the first reports of major events (2013).

In October 2023, the producers also published the Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Israel and Gaza Edition -- you can listen, read the transcript, or download the one-page handout.

Breaking News Consumer's Handbook description (text version)

On the media:

  1. In the immediate aftermath, news outlets will get it wrong.
  2. Don't trust anonymous sources.
  3. Don't trust stories that cite another new outlet as the source of the information.
  4. There's almost never a second shooter.
  5. Pay attention to the language the media uses.
    1. "We are getting reports"... could mean anything.
    2. "We are seeking confirmation"... means they don't have it.
    3. "[News outlet] has learned"... means it has a scoop or is going out on a limb.
  6. Look for news outlets close to the incident.
  7. Compare multiple sources.
  8. Big news brings out the fakers. And photoshoppers.
  9. Beware reflexive retweeting. Some of this is on you.

Further resources

Academic sources and strategies

For general strategies for evaluating sources, see our Evaluating resources guide, or use Library Search for more in-depth or course- and discipline-specific articles, books, etc. (try terms like "fake news" or "evaluating").

You can also take a for-credit course, taught by Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin West at the University of Washington, "because we are confident that together all of us can make better collective decisions if we know how to evaluate the information that comes our way." (From their FAQs.)

Our Search tips for Google and Google Scholar page includes more advanced tools you can use to trace the origins of false stories -- as well as images.   

 For strategies for researching academic topics,  including evaluating resources in the various disciplines, check the subject-based research guides created by SFU subject specialist librarians. 

Tools and strategies from journalists 

From the Canadian Association of Journalists, see Principles for Ethical Journalism.

The BBC (in the United Kingdom) covers current misinformation and false claims in international news in their weekly BBC Verify feature. 

 The BBC has also created a suite of resources and tools, Beyond Fake News, which includes coverage of recent fake news, and tips for verifying information, fighting fake news, and stopping the spread of misinformation.  

Attribution: About the How to Spot Fake News infographic

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) created this infographic (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News). "Download, print, translate, and share – at home, at your library, in your local community, and in social media networks. The more we crowdsource our wisdom, the wiser the world becomes. You can also check out FactCheck.org’s video based on the article."