Fact-Checking: How to Guide

The author's background matters:

• Are they qualified to write on the topic? Check the author's credentials. Check LinkedIn or do a quick Google search to see if the author can speak about the subject with authority and accuracy.
• Everyone has a bias, but understanding the author's perspective helps you identify potential slants in the information. Knowing if a news source leans liberal or conservative can help you interpret their reporting.
• By checking the author, you can get a sense of their research methods and the likelihood of factual accuracy.

In short, checking the source helps you distinguish between reliable information and misinformation.

Where to find information about the author:

• Research articles and books typically list the author's name, affiliation (university, research institution), and sometimes a short bio on the first page or about the author section.
• On websites, look for an "About Us" or "Author" section. Reputable websites will clearly identify the author or the organization behind the content.
• News articles usually include the author's name at the top or bottom of the article. Some news sites also have dedicated author pages with information about their background.

If you're unsure where to find the author information, you can do a quick web search for the author's name or the website itself.

Check the "About Us" page

• Does the "About Us" section provide details about the website's mission, founders, or team? This can give you a sense of their area of expertise and potential biases.
• Does the website have a legitimate contact address or email? Reputable sites are more likely to provide ways for users to reach them.
• While the "About Us" page can offer some clues, it's important to be cautious about relying solely on it for fact-checking a website. Here's why:
  • Bias: Websites can write their "About Us" section to portray themselves in a positive light, not necessarily presenting a neutral or objective viewpoint.
  • Verification: The information on the "About Us" page may not be independently verifiable.

A domain is the part of an internet address before the dot (".") and the extension like ".com" or ".org". For example, in "google.com", "google" is the domain. This unique text identifies a specific website on the vast internet. It's like a name tag for a website, making it easy to find and remember instead of using complex numerical codes.

Whoxy.com offers a WHOIS Lookup API that allows you to retrieve the owner information of a domain name. This information can include the name of the organization, the registrant's contact email address, and the domain name registrar.