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.