ENGL 1020: Fake News (Shifferd): Reputable Journalism

Beware of "Sponsored Stories," "Promoted Stories," and "Around the Web" content on legitimate news websites!

The Code of Ethics by the Society of Professional Journalists declares that ethical journalists should "distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two” and “prominently label sponsored content.”

Recognizing the difference between news reporting and paid content by advertisers is key to challenging fake news. Check to see if content is marked as promoted, sponsored, or as an advertisement.

When it comes to fighting clickbait and fake news, the best way to outfox advertisers and their algorithms is to simply refuse to click.

Maheshwari, Sapna, and John Herrman. "Publishers are Rethinking those ‘Around the Web’ Ads." New York Times, Oct 30 2016, https://search.proquest.com/docview/1835126966?accountid=10932.

• Arabic: Al Jazeera English (**Also see Al Jazeera international coverage)
• British: BBC News (**Also see BBC international coverage)
• British: The Guardian
• British: openDemocracy
• Asian: Asia Times
• Canadian: National Post
• Russian: Russian Times
• French: Le Monde
• Italy: La Repubblica
• South Africa: Sunday Times
• South Africa: City Press
• Kenya: Daily Nation

Domestic News Sources

• Barron's (website) and Barron's (database)
• Chicago Tribune
• The Christian Science Monitor
• ​The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Education Week
• Los Angeles Times
• The New York Times (website) and New York Times (database)
• ​USA Today
• The Wall Street Journal (website) and Wall Street Journal (database)
• The Washington Post (database)

Official US government sources:

• USA.gov - Official portal for US government services and information
• Budget of the United States Government
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• United States Congress
• Data and Statistics about the U.S.

Independent news outlets:

• AP News - Not-for-profit news cooperative covering worldwide breaking news and investigative reporting
• C-SPAN - Coverage of unedited political and non-political public policy events, interviews and historical programs
• Reuters - Reuters' editorial policy states: "We are committed to reporting the facts and in all situations avoid the use of emotive terms. The only exception is when we are quoting someone directly or in indirect speech."