Ask these questions from the American Press Institute (2013) as you decide to use a piece of news. You can also use four moves to decide if information is reliable.
What type of content is this? News story? Opinion piece? Comment, reaction? Ad, native advertising?
Who and what are the sources, and why should I believe them? Produced by a news organization, think tank, political group, corporation? Look them up.
What’s the evidence? Is the evidence based in fact? What proof do the sources offer for what they know?
Is the main point proven by the evidence? Does the main point make sense? Do the conclusions follow logically? Could the same evidence be interpreted differently?
What’s missing? Is a part of the story omitted that seems a logical element?
Why did the author write this? What are they trying to accomplish? Inform, convince, sell something, or make you angry?