Fake news can travel around the world before a fact-check is written. These five signs should make you pause before you share.
1. The headline is louder than the story
Clickbait is built to provoke. If a headline feels too outrageous to be true, read the article. Often the body is far more ordinary than the headline.
Red flags: ALL CAPS, stacks of exclamation points, and phrases like “You won’t believe…” or “They don’t want you to know…”
2. No real author or source
Serious outlets put a name on the work. Anonymous posts, or vague “experts say” with no names, are a warning. Ask: who wrote this, what are their credentials, and why are the sources hidden?
3. The story appears nowhere else
Search the claim on other reputable sites. A major story that lives only on one obscure page is usually not a scoop. It is usually wrong.
4. Sloppy writing
Newsrooms employ editors. Repeated typos, broken grammar, and frantic phrasing often mean there was no editorial process — a common mark of fake-news mills.
5. The URL is doing an impression
Lookalike domains are a classic trick. One extra word or a swapped extension can turn a trusted brand into a counterfeit. Read the address bar, not just the logo.
What to do next
If you see these signs, do not share. Check the claim with a reputable fact-checker such as Snopes, FactCheck.org, or PolitiFact. Sixty seconds of caution stops a lie from travelling further.
This fact-check may be AI-assisted and can contain errors. Disclaimer.