Share Checklist - Think Before
You Share

The internet and social media are full of facts and opinions. Most are balanced and informative but others can be misleading and could actually be fake news. Making them harmful to share with our friends and families.

SHARE Checklist

Thankfully, there are some things you can do to check if a story can be trusted.

Before you like, comment or share content online, ask yourself… Does it look right? Does it sound right? Use the SHARE checklist below to help you spot false information.

S

Source

Make sure information comes from a trusted source.

Have you heard of the source before? Do you recognise the url, or website name? Is the source verified? Checking these things can help you determine if a source is reliable.

H

Headline

Always read beyond the headline.

Headlines don’t always tell the full story. Always check the date and read to the end before you share articles with family and friends.

A

Analyse

Check the facts.

If something sounds unbelievable, it very well might be. You can use fact-checking services which are correcting false information about important issues every day. Or check the fact with an official source such as GOV.UK or Full Fact.

R

Retouched

Does the image or video look as though it has been doctored?

It might be edited, or show an unrelated place or event. Check to see if the photo matches what an article says. You can also reverse image search to determine the source of an image.

E

Error

Look out for bad grammar and spelling.

Typos and other errors are clues that the information could be false. Official guidance will always have been carefully checked.

Tip: Many platforms now let you flag false or misleading content. If you suspect a post on social media is fake news, report it.

Download the Checklist

Definitions

False information online, or ‘fake news’, is often called misinformation or disinformation, but what do these terms actually mean?

Misinformation

noun

Refers to false information that is shared without an intent to mislead.

Disinformation

noun

Refers to false information that is shared with an intent to deceive and mislead. It’s not always easy to spot, but the checklist can help you decide if information can be trusted.

Real life examples

Some examples of false information and its real world impact.

False rumours spreading online, linking 5G to illnesses, resulted in a number of masts being set on fire across the UK. As well as incidents of telecoms engineers being attacked, including someone being stabbed.

Source: The Guardian

Manipulated image

Real image

Source: Twitter

Manipulated photo of a UK billboard conflating the cost of living crisis with UK support for Ukraine.

Source: Reuters

Every minute of every day over 1.5 million pieces of content are being shared.

Source: DOMO

Think Before You Share

Watch our short content films below to find out more about how sharing fake news impacts us all.

View Transcript

When we share, we could be sharing fake news. Spreading it around the world in minutes. Which could be dangerous and damaging to millions. Your actions online shape the impact fake news has on us all. Read beyond an article’s headline to help spot fake news. Think before you share.

Think Before You Share