Hard To Believe: 59 Of The Most Ridiculous Facts People Actually Know

That said, skepticism is hard work. Double-checking every single claim that you come across in the news or on social media can be exhausting. Not everyone has the time to spend countless hours cross-referencing facts and delving into history books to refute iffy and spammy misinformation.

There are jobs to work, kids to raise, college essays to write, chores to avoid, and cute pets to photograph. That’s why evaluating the (un)reliability of a source rather than each individual fact is a better way to spend your time.

The News Literacy Project urges people to start things off by doing a quick search to learn more about a particular news outlet or reporter. You can look at the ethical guidelines and standards they follow and get an eye for the general quality of their work.

Are they transparent about where they get their information from? Do they link to multiple sources? Do they credit other people or organizations? Do they make corrections if they realize that they’ve made mistakes?