SIFTing through the Pandemic: Evaluating Online Information: Home

What is evaluating information?

Evaluating information is about deciding whether we trust the source in front of us and the claims (statements) it makes. We make decisions about the information we see, hear and read all the time. Have you ever:

• Checked customer reviews before buying clothes?
• Compared different hotels when booking a trip?
• Googled a fact your friend said because it didn't sound right?

These are all examples of evaluating information.

Why evaluate information?

Using the wrong information can have negative consequences. 

These consequences can be small - you have to return the clothes you bought. Or they could be big - you persuade your employer to invest in a poor quality product based on inaccurate information. 

Now that we find most of our information online there are more issues to deal with:

• Misinformation (false information shared by mistake)
• Disinformation (false information deliberately shared to mislead or harm)
• Fake news (false information presented as news)

Spotting these may be harder than you think! Anyone can create a professional-looking webpage even if they aren't an expert in the subject they are talking about