Raise your hand if you are in need of some good news. 🖐️

A recent study that spanned 16 countries and 6 continents investigated how effective different interventions were in fighting the spread of misinformation (1). The study found that:

• Prompting people to consider accuracy reduced their likelihood of sharing misinformation on social media platforms.
• Additionally, the study found that simple tips on how to spot misinformation can curb its spread (2).

This study is part of a growing body of evidence that points to the impact of misinformation interventions (3,4,5).

How can you help? The next time you come across a headline that is emotionally charged, lacks nuance, or sounds too good to be true, ask yourself, “Is this accurate?”. Does something still seem fishy? Consider the following:

• Investigate the source. 🕵️
  Is the story written by a source whose reputation you trust? If the story comes from an unfamiliar organization, check their “About Us” section to learn more.
• Inspect the dates. 📅
  False news stories may link to out-of-date references or timelines that don’t make sense.
• Look at other sources. 📰
  Are other stories independently verifying the same report or are they all linking back to a singular article?
• Is it a joke? 😂
  The best of us have fallen for a well-placed April Fools’ joke. Double check what you are reading isn’t a parody.
• Still have doubts? If you’re not 100% sure it’s legit, don’t share it. 🙅‍♀️

If you’re here thank you for being part of this initiative – we are stronger when we are together against misinformation.

Sources: https://tinyurl.com/SUFCounteringMisinfoWorks