Look for journalistic standards of reporting. High-quality, investigative news sources have explicit editorial policies and follow a code of ethics or professional standards.
Does the news source you are using have an explicit Editorial Policy?
Does it follow a Code of Ethics?
Lack of an explicit and prominent editorial policy or a statement of ethical standards is a red flag indicating suspect content.
Examples of policies and standards:
The Globe and Mail: Editorial Code of Conduct
The New York Times: Standards and Ethics
CBC: Journalistic Standards and Practices
The Canadian Association of Journalists website includes a section on ethics with multiple links and documents such as Ethics Guidelines and Principles for Ethical Journalism.
Accountable sources issue corrections for errors and inaccuracies they subsequently discover. Fake news sources are not accountable for their content. Fake news creates or uses content that is partially fabricated or contain misleading information as well as outright falsehoods.
Accountable sources sign their stories and take personal responsibility for the content.
Articles should have bylines (the names of the authors). An individual or group of individuals take personal and professional responsibility for the accuracy of the information in the article. Lack of a byline is a red flag indicating suspect content.
Click on the byline if it's linked. Where does it lead?
Google the author names. Is there a LinkedIn profile? some other form of biographical information? What has the author done in the past? Does the author's background and experience qualify her or him to write on the article topic?
Some of the content on this page is adapted from Center for News Literacy, Stony Brook University School of Journalism.Lesson 8: Source Evaluation.