Save this: Your guide to spotting misinformation in local, NC and US elections

Voters this year likely will see more misinformation and misleading claims than in any previous election.

The contentious presidential race, frantic efforts around the country to “flip” state legislatures, and confusion about the coronavirus — the hottest topic of the election — create the perfect environment for peddling false information.

The politics team at The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun works every day to research and report factual information. Here, we’ve pulled together tools to help you identify disinformation so you can focus on the facts.

Please read on, and share with friends.

And watch a reply of our “Disinformation in Local Elections” virtual event here, where we discuss tools and tactics with experts.

Information from official sources is not necessarily factual. Verify what you hear and read.

• Read our collection of fact checks on politicians’ statements and policies at newsobserver.com/factcheck.
• FactCheck.Org aims to reduce the level of deception in U.S. politics.
• Google Fact-Check Explorer can tell you if a fact or claim has been investigated by a fact-checking organization.

• Politifact is a fact-checking website that verifies elected officials’ statements.

Assume what you see on social media will need to be verified

• FactCheck.Org has a “misinformation directory” organized alphabetically of websites that have published misleading information. The Daily Dot put together a list of fake websites that appeared on Facebook.
• See if you can “Spot the Troll” in this election game created by two Clemson professors.

• Photos and videos on social media also can be manipulated. Take this Spot the Deepfake Quiz and see if you can effectively identify what’s real and what is not.

• You can also join the fight against falsehoods in your feeds. On Twitter, users can report a tweet for being “misleading about a political election or other civic event.” Instructions here. Facebook has said it is taking steps to reduce voter interference. You can read more here.

Check up on the author

• Reputable news organizations use bylines to identify who reported and wrote the story, often including a brief resume for the reporter. You can use NewsGuard to get the “trust ratings” for a majority of news sites.
• Make sure you know who’s behind a political poll. FiveThirtyEight has a ranking of pollsters, from reputable to completely untrustworthy.
• Wondering what happened to a politician’s tweet that just seemed to disappear? Go to PolitWoops to find an archive of all tweets that were posted, then deleted, by a politician.

Scrutinize political advertisements

• Political ads are meant to persuade — which often means using deceptive tactics to manipulate voters. Watch our “Political Ad Deconstruction” video report on the fascinating ways that political campaigns try to change your mind.
• HonestAds.org is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that educates and explains political ads. Download their “Played” app to see how skilled you are at identifying deception and manipulation.
• You can do your own checking on the statistics and statements made in political ads. Most public agencies post data on their websites — for example, unemployment statistics in North Carolina, coronavirus data and crime statistics.

Subscribe to fact-checking newsletters and podcasts

• The American Press Institute and the Poynter Institute publish Factually, an accountability journalism and fact-checking newsletter. Sign up here.
• First Draft News examines the dangerous impact of misinformation around the world. Sign up for their newsletter here.
• The “Is That a Fact?” podcast addresses the impact of disinformation on American democracy. The 10-episode podcast is here.
• NPR has an archive of its fact-checking audio stories here.

From The News & Observer

The N&O offers several ways to get trusted political and government news each day.

• Use our Voter Guide before you head to the polls.

• Sign up for the Under the Dome newsletter about state politics, and listen to the Under the Dome podcast.

• The NC Insider daily report provides deep and detailed information about what’s going on in state politics.

This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 2:54 PM.