NEWS LITERACY “Beginning next Wednesday, baked ziti will be outlawed in 37 states! I seen it on this one website!!” Yeah, probably not. Social media’s fact-checking standards, never the highest on its best day, are slipping further and further down the slope. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has some tips for spotting canards, mendacities and fugazis:

Consider the source:  Click away from the story to investigate the site.

Check the author: What else have they published? Are they real, or are they AI-generated?

Go beyond clickbait: An outrageous headline, such as Baked Ziti Will Land You in Prison, may just be designed to get clicks, and have nothing to do with the actual story.

Check the sources: If they have any. See if the information matches the claims in the story.

Is it satire? One of our favorite satirical sites is Birds Aren’t Real, which posited that in 1967, the CIA killed all the live birds in the world and replaced them with birdlike surveillance drones. Honestly, they kept this going for like four years before finally admitting that yes, birds are still real.

Ask an expert: Reference librarians at Mt. Lebanon Public Library recommend some unbiased sources:

Medline Plus

MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. It is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world’s largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Mayo Clinic Symptom Checker

This tool allows you to choose a variety of factors related to your symptom, in order to help you narrow the potential medical conditions related to your symptom. However, the most reliable way to determine the cause of your symptom, and what to do, is to visit your health-care provider.

Allegheny County Law Library

The Allegheny County Law Library provides open access to all Allegheny County library cardholders. Access includes online law databases. Legal forms and instructions are provided on the website as well as in person or via phone or email.

Allegheny County Connect

Links to a variety of sources by subject

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Services

Links to all agencies within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania such as Department of Aging, Human Services, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Associated Press Fact Check

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Verify the latest news with AP Fact Check. AP fact checkers combat misinformation by debunking false and misleading claims.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State Voting and Elections

Allegheny County Department of Elections

League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.