Evaluating news: Fake News & Beyond

Stop by the library (Bldg. 5, 2nd floor) in person, or contact us via email skylibrary@smccd.edu or on the phone (650-738-4311). Don't be shy; we're here to help you and no question is too basic to ask.

Skyline College Library offers online The  New York Times accounts for all students, staff, and faculty. This includes unlimited access via mobile apps on tablets and smart phones.

NYTimes.com accounts are good for one year for eligible Skyline College community members only (current students, staff, and faculty), after which accounts need to be renewed.

Faculty are eligible for a New York Times in Education account. New York Times in Education provides curated content for a range of disciplines on how to incorporate news content from the New York Times into your curricula.

For instructions on how to register or re-register for your complimentary New York Times account, please visit our New York Times Guide.

Skyline College Library offers unlimited access to the Wall Street Journal for all students and employees. The WSJ App can be downloaded to Apple & Android smartphones & tablets. Access WSJ at the following links:

• WSJ.com/Skyline
• WSJ.com/Video
• WSJ.com/Newsletters
• MSJ.com/Podcasts

For instructions on how to activate your complimentary Wall Street Journal subscription, please visit our Wall Street Journal Guide.

What to do:

1. Read/watch/listen very widely.
2. Be critical of the sources we share and engage with on social media.
3. Some generally reliable sources are (some of which require a subscription): The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, PBS NewsHour, BBC World News, The Economist, The Pew Research Center, Democracy Now, as well as various local sources.
4. Recognize that even typically reliable sources, whether mainstream or alternative, corporate or nonprofit, rely on particular media frames to report stories and select stories based on different notions of newsworthiness.
5. Use Library Databases on current events and news. Skyline College Library provides full, complimentary access to NYTimes.com and New York Times mobile apps to Skyline College students, faculty, and staff. Here are instructions on how to access NYTimes.com. 

​What to avoid:

1. “Fake, false, regularly misleading sites” which rely on “outrage” using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits” (examples: Politicalo, AmericanNews.com)​
2. Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information (examples: ConsciousLifeNews.com, CountdownToZeroTime.com)
3. These websites sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions (examples: BipartisanReport.com, TheFreeThoughtProject.com)
4. Purposefully fake satire/comedy sites that can offer critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news (examples: Christwire.org, TheOnion.com)