Fact-Checking Tools — Video 2: Looking up Claims and Website Owners

Summary

In this BuzzFeed News video, reporters Craig and Jane demonstrate how to debunk fake news online. They guide viewers through investigating a dubious story about Malia Obama and the 'Tide Pod' challenge, using tools like Google search and domain ownership checks. The tutorial uncovers the story's falsehood and reveals the website's owner, Christopher Blair, exposing a network of fake news sites. The video empowers viewers with 'who is' wizardry to identify the source of online stories and assess their credibility.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The video is a tutorial on debunking fake news online by BuzzFeed News reporters Craig and Jane.
• 📰 The reporters demonstrate techniques to verify the authenticity of stories found online, starting with checking the source of the story.
• 🌐 They advise to look for an 'About' page or information about the website, as the absence of such can raise suspicion.
• 🚨 An example is given where a story claims Malia Obama started the 'Tide Pod' challenge, which they aim to debunk.
• 🔎 To verify such claims, they suggest using a quote from the story to perform a Google search for further information.
• 📈 The first search results often reveal if the story has been debunked, as seen with articles confirming the Malia Obama story as fake news.
• 🏠 If the original site is no longer online, it's another red flag indicating the story's unreliability.
• 🔑 To find out more about the website, they recommend using domainbigdata to uncover the website's creator and other associated domains.
• 👤 The example shows the website is owned by Christopher Blair, indicating that the site is likely not from a reliable media organization.
• 📅 The age of the website, just 8 days old in the example, can also be a sign of its lack of credibility.
• 🔗 By checking the associated email address, one can uncover a network of websites that may be part of a fake news operation.

Q & A

Who are the speakers in the video transcript?

The speakers are Craig and Jane, reporters at BuzzFeed News.

What is the primary job of Craig and Jane?

Their job is to debunk fake content on the internet.

What is the main purpose of the video they are presenting?

The main purpose is to teach viewers how to verify the authenticity of stories found online.

How can viewers determine the source of a story online?

Viewers can determine the source by examining the domain name and looking for an 'About' page or other information about the site.

What is suspicious about the 'onlypolitics.info' site according to the script?

The site is suspicious because it lacks an 'About' page or any kind of information, and it is a relatively unknown source.

What is the 'Tide Pod' challenge mentioned in the script?

The 'Tide Pod' challenge is a dangerous and fake internet trend that the script uses as an example of a story to debunk.

How do Craig and Jane verify the authenticity of a quote mentioned in the story?

They copy the quote and paste it into a Google search to find corroborating or debunking information from other sources.

What is the significance of the original site being taken offline?

The site being taken offline is a red flag indicating that the story might be false or the site was spreading misinformation.

What tool can be used to find out more about the website that published a story?

The tool 'domainbigdata' can be used to find out more information about the website, including the owner and associated domains.

Who is the owner of the 'onlypolitics.info' site according to the video?

The owner of the site is Christopher Blair, as revealed by using the 'domainbigdata' tool.

What other websites are associated with Christopher Blair according to the script?

There are 14 other websites associated with Christopher Blair, all registered in 2018, indicating a network of fake news websites.

What can be concluded about the reliability of the 'onlypolitics.info' site based on the video?

Based on the video, the site is not reliable as it is only 8 days old, lacks transparency, and is part of a network of fake news sites.

Outlines

00:00

🕵️‍♂️ Debunking Fake News with BuzzFeed Reporters

Craig and Jane, BuzzFeed News reporters, introduce themselves and their mission to debunk false information on the internet. They offer to share tools and techniques for viewers to verify the authenticity of online stories. The video focuses on identifying the source of a story and using 'who is' searches to uncover the domain owner, using the example of a fabricated story about Malia Obama starting the 'Tide Pod' challenge. They demonstrate how to use a Google search to find debunking articles and check the credibility of the original site by looking for an 'about' page and other information.

🔍 Investigating the Source of a Story

The reporters guide viewers on how to investigate the source of a story by examining the domain name and looking for an 'about' page or other identifying information on the website. Suspicion arises when such information is missing, as in the case of the 'onlypolitics.info' site, which lacks transparency about its origins. The reporters use a quote from the story to perform a Google search, leading to articles that debunk the Malia Obama 'Tide Pod' challenge claim, and note the original site has been taken offline, further questioning the story's validity.

🏢 Unveiling the Creator of a Fake News Site

To delve deeper into the origins of the Malia Obama fake news story, the reporters recommend using the 'domainbigdata' website to find out who created the original site. By entering the domain, viewers can discover the name of the person behind the site, in this case, Christopher Blair, and learn that the site is only 8 days old, indicating it is not a reliable media organization. The reporters also show how to find other websites registered under the same email address, revealing a network of fake news websites all registered in 2018, thus exposing the coordinated effort behind spreading misinformation.

Keywords

💡Debunk

To 'debunk' is to expose the falseness of something, especially a belief or theory, by providing evidence or arguments. In the context of the video, the reporters aim to debunk fake stories on the internet, which is central to their job at BuzzFeed News. The term is used to illustrate the process of verifying the authenticity of online content, as seen when they investigate the Malia Obama 'Tide Pod' challenge story.

💡Fake News

Fake news refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic news. It is a significant issue in the digital age, where misinformation can spread rapidly. In the video, the reporters demonstrate how to identify and debunk fake news, such as the fabricated story about Malia Obama, which is a key part of their educational mission.

💡Domain

In the context of the internet, a 'domain' is the address that identifies a website, like 'onlypolitics.info' in the script. It is a crucial piece of information when investigating the credibility of a website. The video uses the term to explain how to look into the domain details to find out who might be behind a particular website and to assess its reliability.

💡About Page

An 'About Page' is a section on a website that typically contains information about the site's purpose, its creators, and its mission. It is an important indicator of a site's transparency and credibility. In the video, the absence of an 'About Page' on the website raises suspicion about its authenticity, which is a key point in evaluating the trustworthiness of online sources.

💡Google Search

A 'Google Search' refers to the process of using Google's search engine to look up information on the internet. It is a common method for verifying information and finding sources that can confirm or debunk claims. In the video, the reporters use Google Search to check the validity of the Malia Obama story, demonstrating a practical approach to fact-checking.

💡Fact-Checking

Fact-checking is the act of verifying the accuracy of statements or claims made in media, especially in journalism. It is essential for maintaining the integrity of information. The video's theme revolves around fact-checking, as the reporters use various tools and techniques to determine the truth behind an online story.

💡Massachusetts Police Chief Jack Boman

This refers to a specific individual mentioned in the script as a supposed source of a quote within the fake news story. The mention of a police chief adds an air of credibility to the false claim, which is a common tactic used in fake news to make it seem more believable. The reporters use this name in a Google search to find out that the story has been debunked.

💡Website Domainbigdata

Website 'domainbigdata' is mentioned as a tool in the script that can be used to investigate the ownership and other details of a website. It is a practical resource for those looking to perform a deeper investigation into the origins and credibility of an online source, as demonstrated when the reporters look up the domain of the fake news site.

💡Christopher Blair

'Christopher Blair' is the name of the individual identified as the owner of the website that published the fake news story in the video. This name is significant as it helps uncover a network of fake news websites registered under the same email address, illustrating the scale of the problem of misinformation.

💡Tide Pod Challenge

The 'Tide Pod Challenge' is a dangerous social media trend that was mentioned in the fake news story about Malia Obama. It serves as a specific example in the video of the type of sensational and false content that the reporters are debunking. The mention of this challenge highlights the absurdity of the fake news story and the importance of critical thinking when encountering such claims online.

Highlights

Craig and Jane are reporters at BuzzFeed News debunking fake news on the internet daily.

They will show tools, tips, and tricks for viewers to verify stories online themselves.

The video focuses on determining the source of a story and identifying the domain owner.

A story about Malia Obama starting the 'Tide Pod' challenge is used as an example.

The story's source site onlypolitics.info lacks an about page, raising suspicion.

A quote from a police chief in the story is searched on Google to verify its authenticity.

Google search results debunk the Malia Obama story, showing it originated from a fake news site.

The original site publishing the story has been taken offline, indicating its unreliability.

Website domainbigdata can reveal the creator of a website by searching the domain.

The Malia Obama story website is found to be owned by Christopher Blair, a known fake news creator.

The website is only 8 days old, suggesting it is not a reliable or established media organization.

Domainbigdata also shows other websites registered under the same email address, uncovering a network of fake news sites.

There are 14 other fake news websites registered by Christopher Blair in 2018.

The video teaches viewers how to identify and debunk fake news by investigating the source and domain owner.

Using Google search to verify quotes in suspicious stories is an effective method demonstrated.

Checking if the original site is still online is another way to question the story's validity.

The video concludes by congratulating viewers for uncovering a network of fake news websites.

Transcripts

Hi, I’m Craig.

Hi, I’m Jane.

We’re reporters at BuzzFeed News and our job is to debunk fake stuff on the internet

every day.

So, we’re going to show you some of the tools and tips and tricks that we use so that

you can do it too.

In this video we’re going to figure out the source of a story online and teach you

some “who is” wizardry to figure out who might be behind a domain.

If you see a story online— maybe it’s shared on Facebook like this one – and you

want to figure out if it’s true or not, there are a few things you can do.

So first, if we click on it from this Facebook page, it’s going to open up the article

page.

And we can see here that it’s a site called onlypolitics.info if we look up at the domain

name.

Now, I’m not really familiar with that site so I want to investigate a little bit more.

If I scroll down I can see that there’s no links to an about page or any kind of information

about the site so that makes me a little bit suspicious.

And in this case, the story is claiming that Malia Obama was charged with starting the

‘Tide Pod’ challenge.

So, if you want to figure out whether that’s true or not, we can see in here that there’s

a quote that they say is from Massachusetts Police Chief Jack Boman, so we’re going

to copy that and we’re going to paste that into a Google search and let’s see what

we get.

So, our first two results here are articles debunking this claim, so we can see here an

article that says its fake news, that it originated on a site that published it in April, and

that there’s no truth to the story, and the police have not corroborated and there’s

no other information to back it up.

And we can also go to the link to the original site and we can see that it’s actually been

taken offline.

So that’s another reason to really question the story.

In this case, you can be pretty sure that Malia Obama did not start the ‘Tide Pod’

challenge.

So, if you want to know a little a bit more about the website that originally published

the Malia Obama story, there’s a really easy way to do that.

What you do is you go to the website domainbigdata and you’re just going to copy and paste

the original domain of the website right here in the search box.

What that does is it tells you the name of the person who created this website.

Sometimes it’s hidden but a lot of the times they don’t necessarily hide their identity.

So right here we see that this website is owned by a man name Christopher Blair and

we see that this website is just 8 days old, so it is probably not a very reliable established

media organization.

Through this, we can also see other websites associated with the email address Christopher

Blair registered his website under.

So, there are 14 other websites, let’s check it out here.

Just click on the email and here are all the other domains that Christopher Blair has registered.

Looks like all of them were in 2018 including nofakenewsonline.us and now you’ve uncovered

a small network of fake news websites.

Congratulations!