Welcome to the University Libraries guide to News Literacy & Alternative Facts at URI! Here, you'll learn how to find information through the library, from books to journal articles to quality online resources.

Use the tabs to navigate this guide, and don't hesitate to ask a librarian if you need extra help.

"News Literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information and to recognize the standards of fact-based journalism to know what to trust, share and act on."

Source: News Literacy Project. (2025, May 5). News Literacy Project. https://newslit.org/

What we are up against:

• Often too much information comes at us all at once. In these instances, our brain relies on psychological tricks to quickly decide if something is true or false. But these tricks are not always accurate.
• Technology is making it easier and more profitable to spread false information than ever before.
• We now expect immediate news coverage, which limits outlets' abilities to fact check.
• Digital algorithms create filter bubbles, where we only interact with information that we agree with.

With news literacy, you can combat these issues by:

• Recognizing the difference between journalism and other types of information.
• Analyzing how authors verify the claims they are making with evidence. 
• Distinguishing between news media bias and our own biases.
• Evaluating a claim across all news media platforms, based on the quality of evidence. 

Source: LibGuides: News Literacy: Home. (n.d.). https://library.owu.edu/c.php?g=926696&p=6676817

What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?

• Misinformation refers to false information, regardless of whether or not it's intended to mislead or deceive people.
• Disinformation refers to false information that's spread with the specific intent of misleading or deceiving people.

Due to their similarity, the terms are sometimes used in overlapping ways. All disinformation is misinformation, but not all misinformation is disinformation. 

One way to remember the difference between misinformation and disinformation is to remember that misinformation can be a mistake, while disinformation is not just false but dishonest.

Source: Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words. (2025). In Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/misinformation

Malinformation refers to information that is based on truth (though it may be exaggerated or presented out of context) but is shared with the intent to attack an idea, individual, organization, group, country or other entity. 

Source: Princeton Public Library. (2024, October 24). Misinformation, Disinformation & Malinformation: A Guide - Princeton Public Library. https://princetonlibrary.org/guides/misinformation-disinformation-malinformation-a-guide/

Use the University of Rhode Island University Libraries databases to find news from reputable sources. Here are some good starting places.