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Web Misinformation: Hoax Websites

A guide for web misinformation designed and created by Clark Librarians
You probably know that anyone can put anything on the web. You might even be aware that much information on the web is inaccurate. Some misinformation is unintentional -- a result of sloppy or incomplete research. But other sites contain inaccurate information on purpose. Sometimes these sites are for fun and entertainment, sometimes they are created to intentionally mislead. 

It's a Bow-Wow Good Time!

screenshot of home page for Dog idland website

 

Jumping to Conclusions...

screenshot of the homepage for Mike the Headless Chicken

Real or Satire?

screenshot of the pacific northwest octoput website home page

Spoof or Real...?

Those experts at Dwayne Medical Center are always up to new and exciting medical research. And they show it off in a really slick website...

screen shot of the home page for ryt hospital website

Bias and Extreme Point of View?

 screen shot of the home page for globalwarming.org

Is it news or Is It...?

Ah... the news! The place where we all go to keep up with the events of the day. Take a look at these news sites and see what you think.

A Lesson in Being Responsible

Google this: Martin Luther King.

From the list of results, look for the site called "Martin Luther King, Jr: A True Historical Examination."

Look around to see who hosts this site. (Spoiler: This site is an example of a racist, hate site.)

Notice that it shows up on the first page of a Google search

Notice that it's a .org

Google does not evaluate sites for you. The first page is not guarantee of good results. And anyone can set up a .org website. Anyone. Take responsibility for evaluating your own websites. Every single one. Every single time.

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