MISLEADING WEBSITES

Some websites were designed to be intentionally misleading. These websites may be parodies, satire, hoaxes, or designed to show students the importance of questioning information found on the web.

Can you spot a fake site? 

Use the following websites to explore the issue of Internet content. Some are real and some are fake or silly. How would you question EVERYTHING you read? Select one to use as an example.


Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie

Dehydrated water

Dog Island

The Fake Apollo Landings

Online Pregnancy Test

The Museum of Hoaxes

Pets or Food

EVALUATE A WEBSITE

We need to learn to evaluate the quality of information we find on the web as well as other information resources such as books, magazines, CD-ROM, and television. We should be skeptical of everything we find and compare and contrast different information resources considering the following ideas:

Authority. Who says? Know the author. 

• Who created this information and why? 

Objectivity. Is the information biased? Think about perspective. 

• Is the information objective or subjective? 

Authenticity. Is the information authentic? Know the source.

• Is the information from an established organisation?

Reliability. Is this information accurate? Consider the origin of the information. 

• Who is sponsoring this publication?

Timeliness. Is the information current? Consider the currency and timeliness of the information. 

Relevance. Is the information helpful? Think about whether you need this information.