Sunday, December 07, 2014

Website Review: Factcheck.org

FACTCHECK.ORG is an award-winning website providing consumer information that can be woven across the curriculum.

This nonpartisan, nonprofit website for the Annenberg Public Policy Center shares useful information to help youth make responsible decisions related to issues of public policy. It attempts to “reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics”. At the same time, it models important information inquiry skills by discussing alternative perspectives and identifying the factual accuracy of advertisements, debates, speeches, interviews, and news.

The HOME page provides access to topics currently in the news, while the ARTICLES section links to recent topics.

The ASK FACTCHECK section allows users to ask a question. Questions and answers are provided along with a place to read more about the topic.

Around elections, go to the ELECTIONS section for up-to-date information about the facts and falsehoods surrounding particular players.

The VIRAL SPIRAL section features “a list of false and misleading viral rumors” along with a summary of facts.

The ARCHIVES provides a list of popular people and topics such as immigration, guns, and health care. Use the SEARCH for specific topic searches.

Teachers will find the QUIZ ARCHIVE particularly useful.

A companion website called FLACKCHECK.ORG focuses on political literacy and provides lots of resources to help learners identifying flaws in arguments.

To access FACTCHECK.ORG go to http://www.factcheck.org/
Use Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to keep up-to-date on current topics from FACTCHECK.